One Piece: Tale of the Amatsu Pirates
by Xx Falcon's Eye xX
Summary: In this world there are powerful pirates, there are powerful LOOKING pirates... then there's the Amatsu Pirates. With Kazuya Haruka as their captain, this band of unlikely nakama journey into the Grand Line in search of One Piece! OC centric T for languag
1. Prologue

**Yeah, this is a little random, but I kept getting this idea for a new One Piece story… well here it is!!**

Prologue

_Wealth, Fame, Power._

_The man who had obtained everything the world had to offer; The Pirate King… Gold Roger_

_The last words he spoke before his death sent people from all over the world to the seas!_

"_My treasures? If you want them, they're yours! Look for them, I left it all in that place."_

_Men then traveled to the Grand Line, in pursuit of romance. _

_This is the Grand Age Of Pirates!_

_And someday…_

"My father's treasure will be mine! And I'm gonna be Queen of the Pirates!!"

Twenty-one year old Kazuya Haruka stood—right foot on top of a tree stump—with her fists in the air. She laughed happily.

From in front of her, a few children were also laughing, not _with _Haruka, but _at _her.

"Your 'father'?" A young boy laughed.

"'Queen of the Pirates'?" a little girl chimed in. Haruka put her hands on her knee and bent over.

"Of course!" She exclaimed. "Gold Roger said it himself! 'They're yours!'"

"He meant _anyone's_." Another little girl exclaimed. "Not _yours_!"

"Besides!" Yet another boy began, "You ain't a pirate!"

All four of the children rang in unison, "And you're _NOT_ Gold Roger's daughter!!"

From a small village some yards away, a few whistles and calls from women could be heard. Apparently the children's mothers were calling them.

The children looked at each other, then at Haruka, and then ran back into the village. It was getting late; the sky had begun to turn its orange-red shade and the sun was setting quickly.

Haruka sighed, put her foot down, and angrily kicked the tree stump. It slid a few inches before stopping again. Haruka closed her eyes and sat down on the stump, holding her head up with her hands.

"I'll show them." Haruka thought aloud. "I _am_ Gold Roger's daughter…!!"

* * *

**Enter: Kazuya, Haruka**

** Age: 21**

**Hair: Black with a green highlighted front**

**Eyes: Green**

**Ambition: **_**To become Queen of the Pirates!

* * *

**_

For as long as she could remember Kazuya Haruka had been fascinated by pirates. Even when she was younger, she knew she would be a pirate when she grew up.

Kazuya Haruka: The girl who, whenever Marines would visit the island, would 'borrow' toy guns from the boys and 'shoot' the Marines.

Kazuya Haruka: The girl who, at age ten, heard about Gold Roger for the first time from her mother and automatically fell in love with the sea.

Kazuya Haruka: The girl who, at age thirteen, tried to make a raft big enough for her and her book bag and sail out to see… and ended up sinking three feet from shore.

Kazuya Haruka: The girl who, at age twenty-accidentally ate the Iru Iru no Mi (Fry Fry Fruit—Will explain next chapter.) and almost fried her eyebrows off.

Yes, Haruka was a little… different. But that didn't stop her. If she was going out, she wouldn't go out without a fight… even if it was against little kids… who always seemed to win, no matter what Haruka did.

Sitting on the stump, Haruka stared out at the sea. She took a deep breath and sniffed in the sea-salt smell—the smell she'd grown to love over the years. Haruka couldn't help but smile.

As a small wave crept up onto shore, the sea mist blew past Haruka. It absorbed into her pink T-shirt and soothed her skin. The sea was where she belonged!

Then, Haruka had a thought—No! An epiphany!! She adjusted her green lined fishing hat and, jumping up, she laughed to herself. She was twenty-one, officially an adult by three years, staying her wasn't going to do her any good, and this old village wouldn't miss her much!

'This is it.' She thought. 'Tomorrow morning… I'm leaving.' She smiled, 'I'm leaving!'

Then, she turned around, kicked the stump again, and ran into the village…

"I'm leaving!!"

_-_-_

**well, it was kinda short, but I hope you guys liked it!!**

**Please Review For Me!!**


	2. Departure

Chapter 1

_Kazuya Haruka's Village: Haruka's House_

Haruka was running frantically around her house. She grabbed clothes, rope, tools, and some food before running out the door and locking it.

Haruka took a deep breath; the salt-air smell filled her nostrils. She smiled, her eyes half closed and ran down the road.

Then suddenly, the door of a small, tree looking house opened and a young man—about 25 or so—came out, smiling slyly.

"Well, well," The man said. Haruka stopped dead and scowled.

'Damn…' She thought. The man walked over to her.

"Haruka!" He exclaimed. "Where are you going in such a hurry? Huuuh?" Haruka groaned loudly.

"Somewhere." She said plainly. The man blinked, and then put his hand to his chin.

"_Really_?" He said, still grinning. Haruka tried not to make eye contact.

"Duh," She said, "Now if you'll excuse—"

The man cut her off. "You're not planning on leaving the island… again are you?" He asked, laughing. Haruka balled her hand into a fist as the man laughed. "Oh come on Haruka! You haven't set foot off of this island since the day you were born! Do you really think you'll make it out there?!"

Haruka barred her teeth. "_Maybe_." She hissed. "If there's at least a slight chance, I'll take it." There was a pause. The man crossed his arms.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," He began, "You still think _he's_ your father, don't you?!" Haruka growled.

"HE IS!!" She screamed, turning towards him. Her hand squeezed tighter and suddenly, Haruka's shoulder began to emit steam. The man stared, wide-eyed, at the young girl. Then, he began backing up as both of Haruka's shoulders began to steam. "God!"

Haruka turned back to the road and continued—walking this time. Her head was bowed slightly so her hat was covering her eyes.

Haruka walked up to the docks and sighed. It was then when Haruka noticed it. She stopped and looked around slowly. It seemed like most of the people in her village had come out of their houses—especially the kids. Haruka sighed and turned back to them.

"If you're gonna tell me it's useless," She began sourly, "Save it." No one made a sound and Haruka smiled slightly. "You're all here to see me off, then?" Again, there was no reply from anyone; Haruka's smile faded. "I see how it is…"

Haruka turned back to the docks and began untying a small boat that was small enough to carry over her head. She threw her things into the boat and picked it up. Then, she walked along the shore until she began to walk up a small cliff. She also noticed that some of the villagers—and their kids—were following her. She paid no attention to them.

When she got to the top of the cliff, she stood at the edge and looked down. A bit of rock and grass fell under her feet; Haruka gulped. Then, taking a deep breath—with the smell of salt-water filling her nose—she began backing up. She heard a few hushed gasps and a few laughs from the kids.

That's when she smirked. "Heh," She whispered, and with that, she spun back around and dashed towards the cliff. She held onto the boat like a surfboard—And jumped.

All she could here were gasps, and Haruka beamed. "SEE Y'ALL ON THE WANTED POSTERS!!" She screamed as her and her tiny boat soared towards the sea.

And that's also when it dawned on her.

_She's a devil fruit user._

_She can't SWIM!!_

Haruka's eyes widened. If her boat sunk, she was screwed. But then, a wave of confidence washed over her—along with and actual wave—and she thought of everything everyone had said about her before.

And damn it, even if she didn't make it, she proved them wrong.

But luckily, the boat did come up. Haruka gasped for breath as she clung to the edge of it. She spit out some water and looked back up at the cliff. A few people had walked to the edge and stared down.

Haruka smiled and climbed—to the best of her ability—onto the boat. Her stuff was soaked, but still there. Then, she realized her hat was missing.

"Ah crap!" She exclaimed. Suddenly, something fluttered down onto her head. She looked up and saw the green lining of her favorite hat. Smiling, Haruka stood up. "Yeah!" She shouted. "It's go time!"

* * *

**Status Update: Kazuya, Haruka **

**Age: 21**

**Hair: Black with a green highlighted front**

**Eyes: Green**

**Ambition: **_**To become Queen of the Pirates!**_

**Occupation: Pirate in the Making

* * *

**

Miles and miles away…

"_Koshiro-sensei_!!" A little boy exclaimed, dashing down a deserted hallway. The boy wore a sleeveless green uniform and tied to his belt was a wooden sword. The boy ran barefoot up to a large sliding door. Once there, he knocked frantically. "Koshiro-sensei!!"

"What is it?" Said a man as the door slid open. The man had circular glasses and black hair that was tied into a ponytail. "What is it, kid? What's going on?"

The boy huffed and puffed. "S-sensei got challenged again!!" The man's eyes widened.

"What?" He said, "Again?" The boy nodded; the man rubbed his forehead. He sighed, "Ok, take me to her."

"Yes sir!" The boy said. He began running back down the hall, the man following close behind.

* * *

A large group of boys—of all ages—was crowded around two people. One was a boy wearing the same uniform as the others. He looked at least fourteen or fifteen years old and he was holding a wooden sword tightly in his hand.

On the other side of him was a girl leaning against a wall in the shade. She looked to be at least eighteen or nineteen years old. The girl had blue hair and wore a army-green colored shirt and blue jeans. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her eyes were closed.

The boy opposite her growled, "OI!" He shouted. "Are you gonna fight me or not?!" The girl blew out and glanced over at the boy, eyes half closed. Her eyes revealed as bright red.

"I'm not gonna fight you." She said blankly. "Period." The boy took a step forward.

"Koshiro-sensei says that you can't back down from a challenge!!" He shouted. The girl smirked.

"Right," She said, "He tells that to _students_. I'm not one of them."

"You used to be!!" The boy continued. "You used to be one of his best students!! That's why everyone wants to fight you isn't it?!"

The girl remained silent.

Suddenly, the boy from earlier and the old man came running. The man made his way through the crowd and stood in-between the boy and girl.

"What's going on here?!" He exclaimed. The boy lowered his weapon.

"I challenged Sensei and now she's refusing!" He exclaimed. The man glanced from the boy to the girl and chuckled. "Wh…why's that funny?!"

"Actually," The girl began, "I find it funny too. Hysterical actually." The boy growled again.

"The only reason I wanna fight you is because I want to be as strong as that Roronoa guy!!" He shouted loudly. The whole place fell silent. The girl closed her eyes again and smiled peculiarly. The boy raised an eyebrow in confusion.

The man named Koshiro's eyes were wide with surprise. He glanced over at the girl and slowly took a step back. He knew the boy had just made a huge mistake: Mentioning _HIM._

"…_Really_?" The girl hissed. She pushed herself off of the wall and walked into the building. When she emerged, everyone seemed to be tense. In her hand was a black sword—a real one—and on her belt were three more swords; four in total. "Alright, kid." The girl began, "You wanna match? I'll _give_ you one."

The boy gulped, but kept a straight face. She smirked and held her hands up.

"It'll be too easy if I use my other swords." She said. "Come to think of it, it's gonna be too easy if I use a sword at all." The boy growled and held his sword tightly.

Koshiro stood at a distance, but still between the two. He kept a blank face. The blue haired girl glanced over at him and smirked. The man grinned.

"Alright," He said, raising his arm. "Go ahead." And with that, he dropped his hand.

Not even five minutes went by. The boy was lying on the ground, panting. His sword had flown five feet away from him. He growled and began to sit up, when a sharp sword appeared next to his head.

"You loose," The blue-haired girl smirked, red eyes blazing, "punk."

* * *

**Enter: Yuka **

**Age: 18**

**Hair: Blue**

**Eyes: Red**

**Ambition: **_**Unknown

* * *

**_

**Please review! I know it was kinda short, but I wanted to set the next chapter up. **

**So what's with this mysterious "Yuka" girl? And what's with the four swords?! Find out in the next chapter!!**

**REVIEW!!**


	3. An Unusual First Meeting Part 1

Chapter 2

_Somewhere in East Blue…_

"Uuuuuuugh…" Haruka groaned. She was lying in her small raft; arms and legs sprawled out over the sides of the boat. Overhead, a seagull was circling her. "This is great…" Haruka moaned, looking up. "Where the hell am I?"

All she could see was… well, sea! In spite of the fact that she was totally lost, Haruka had to admit it was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, the sea smell was all around her, there was a cannonball being hurled at her…

Wait…

Haruka shot up after hearing a loud hissing explosion. Staring her down from the horizon was a huge ship. The ship was purple with gold masts and rails. On the main mast, a skull was printed. The skull was orange and had no eyes, nose, or mouth. Around it were three purple circles. The sail itself was yellow.

But what really caught Haruka's attention was the sound. And then it hit her—literally. A solid, heavy metal cannonball collided with the water a few feet away from her, sending her and her boat flying. Haruka screamed as the salt water flew over her.

"Who the hell is that?!" She screamed. The cannonballs kept coming. First a couple every few minutes, and gradually they'd begin to come more rapidly. Haruka had grabbed her paddles and started rowing like crazy. "This is REDICULOUS!!" She screamed as cannonballs rained down around her.

Suddenly, one flew out of a canon and came right at Haruka. Haruka's eyes widened and she screamed yet again, still rowing. But it seemed no matter how fast she rowed, the cannonball would still hit.

And then, somehow, the ball redirected and hit nearly four feet from Haruka's boat. Haruka froze, dropping the paddles. She just stared at the water where the cannonball had hit. Then, she glanced over at the ship, jaw open.

That's when she spotted her. The girl seemed to be at least twenty-eight or so. She wore a large maroon jacket that came down to her knees. Her arms were out of the sleeves and crossed in front of her chest. The girl also wore what looked like a black business hat. But the thing that really caught Haruka's eyes was the girl's hair and eyes.

She had frizzy purple hair that came about an inch below here ears. Her eyes were also purplish, but had a slight pink tint to them. Haruka gulped as the huge ship edged closer and closer to her tiny little sailboat. And then suddenly, a canon located to the front of the right side of the ship shifted towards Haruka.

The girl snickered and narrowed her eyes. She raised her hands ready to snap her fingers. As soon as she did, the cannonball exploded out of the canon like a rocket. It landed not even three feet from Haruka's boat and sent it flying.

"WHYYYYYYYYYY THE HELL IS THIS HAPPENING?!" She screamed as her tiny boat skidded across the sea. The purple haired girl's ship slowly shrunk out of view. Haruka kept screaming as she flew backwards. "WHY AM I STILL GOING?!" She screamed.

Haruka gripped onto the side of her boat with both arms and glanced down. Her eyes widened at what she saw. The entire bottom of her tiny boat was glowing purple. Haruka didn't bother screaming this time; in fact, the best she could do was a weak squeal.

"Y-you have GOT to be kidding!!"

* * *

A few minutes after her 'match', Yuka walked to the edge of the island Koshiro's dojo was on. There was a small cliff—very small, only being two feet down—that Yuka walked to. She had a small knife in her hand and she was gripping it tightly.

Yuka walked to the edge of the cliff and sighed. She took the knife out of it's sheath and stared down at it. In the handle, someone had carved her name. Yuka put the knife back in its sheath and brushed her fingers over her name.

'I didn't want to use my swords…' Yuka thought, sighing. 'Why did I use them on that pathetic little—"

But suddenly, Yuka was snapped out of her thoughts. In the horizon, she could see what looked like a small boat headed for the island. The only problem was, the boat was tearing through the water and didn't look like it was about to slow down.

Yuka's squinted as she tried to see who was aboard the boat. But as soon as she caught a glimpse, the small boat collided with a large rock, sending a large bag, and a girl, flying towards the island.

The bag landed safely in front of Yuka, but the girl however… Well, unfortunately for both her AND Yuka, she didn't get the smoothest landing.

The girl was sent flying towards the cliff. Yuka—who's eyes were widening by the second—began to back up, but with no luck.

"LOOK OUT!!" The girl shouted. But Yuka couldn't get out of the way fast enough; the girl hit her head on and the two of them were blown back, tumbling over each other in the process.

Finally, the girls stopped, skidding to a halt. Yuka coughed and stood up.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" She screamed, looking down at the girl. She had black hair with a green highlight and she wore a green lined fishing hat. Yuka raised an eyebrow. "What the…?"

The girl sat up and rubbed her head. "Owww…" She moaned, "My frickin' head…"

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Yuka screamed, jumping to her feet. The girl looked up at Yuka and blinked. Both girls were silent for a moment; the girl just staring up at Yuka; Yuka practically steaming, hand balled into a fist in front of her.

Finally, the girl broke the silence. "Hi!" She exclaimed. "I'm Haruka!"

A vein in Yuka's forehead pulsed. She barred her teeth together as Haruka stood up.

"Damn," Haruka muttered. "What hit me?" Yuka lost it.

"YOU hit ME!!" She screamed. Haruka turned to her and blinked. Once, twice, three times.

"Oh." Haruka said blankly. "Well then…" She stood up and brushed herself off. "Sorry about that!" She said, raising her hand for a handshake. "I'm Kazuya Haruka! What's your name?"

'Resist… urge… to kill her…' Yuka thought, reluctantly grabbing Haruka's hand. "Yuka." She said in a pissed tone. "Nice… to meet you."

Haruka smiled. "Same here!" She said. Haruka looked around. "Ah crap." She said. "Where's my stuff?"

Yuka pointed to a fairly beaten up backpack. Haruka smiled and ran over to it. She opened the bag and checked on its contents. Nodding, Haruka swung it over her back and pulled the straps.

"Thanks." She said, walking past Yuka and waving. She headed towards Koshiro's dojo. "I owe ya one!" Yuka blinked.

"O-oi!" She shouted. "Where do ya think YOU're going?" Haruka turned back to her.

"I need some more supplies." She said, smiling. "And besides…" She laughed. "I need a new ride." She pointed to the rocks near the cliff. Pieces of broken sailboat were scattered everywhere.

Yuka pinched the bridge of her nose. "I see…" She said. Yuka sighed. "Alright…" She said, walking over to Haruka. "I'll see if we can get you some stuff… So we can get you the hell outta here as fast as possible…" She whispered the last part. 'This is crazy…' Yuka thought, looking back at the cliff. 'What the hell was up with her boat…?'

**Yeah, what the hell WAS up with her boat? And who was that purple haired girl? Why do I ask YOU these things? I-DON'T-KNOW!!**

**Please Review!!**


	4. An Unusual First Meeting Part 2

**Finally an update!!**

Chapter 3

Koshiro's Dojo

Haruka—bag slung over her shoulder—walked cheerfully behind Yuka, who was—to say the least—annoyed. Some weird random girl on a weird random speeding boat had just slammed into her, and then the girl just walks off in some weird random direction!

This was her island after all.

Yuka—arms crossed—led Haruka to the dojo. When they walked up to the wooden sliding doors, Haruka laughed.

"Wow this place is cool!" She exclaimed. Yuka turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"This place?" She said, opening the door. "You don't get out much, do you?"

Haruka shook her head. "This is my first time off my island!"

Yuka rolled her eyes. "Well congratulations." She said sarcastically. "Hope you have some idea of how to get home."

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "I'm not going home." She said. "I'm gonna go to the Grand Line and look for One Piece!"

Yuka—who had her back turned to Haruka and was walking through the door—suddenly stiffened up. Haruka cocked her head to one side.

"The Grand Line?" She said, "One Piece? Tch, please…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Haruka asked—annoyed. She followed Yuka through the wooden door and slid it shut.

"What I mean," Yuka began, "Is that One Piece doesn't exist, and you'd end up getting yourself killed in the Grand Line."

"How do _you_ know?" Haruka asked. "You ever been there?" Yuka turned around.

"Yes." She said sternly. "And you wouldn't last _ten minutes_ there!" Yuka turned back around and began walking again; Haruka glanced down at the floor.

"…Well?" She said. Yuka stopped.

"What?" She asked. Haruka walked up to her.

"Well, what about this place?"

"What about it?"

Haruka smiled. "Well, something musta made you wanna come back here, right?" She asked. Yuka kept walking. "Well? What was it? What's so cool about this place? And can I see it?"

Yuka shrugged. "It's nothing." She said. "Just that the Grand Line was no place for me is all. That's it. I…" She sighed. "I just didn't have anywhere else to go…"

Haruka stopped; Yuka walked far ahead of her. She was thinking about what the blue-haired girl had just said. Finally, she got an idea and ran up to her.

"Why don't you come with me?" She asked excitedly. Yuka stopped momentarily and laughed loudly. Then she continued walking.

"Yeah right!" She exclaimed. "You'd get us both killed!"

"You don't know that!" Haruka shouted. "I'm strong!" She stood in a fighting stance and held her fists up. Yuka turned slightly to look at her. "I might even be stronger than you!"

Yuka rolled her eyes. "I don't think so." She snapped. "I mean, how old are you anyway? Like… sixteen, seventeen—"

"Twenty-two!" Haruka cut in. Yuka's eyes snapped wide.

"…Oh really?" She said. Haruka crossed her arms.

"Yeah!" She exclaimed. She jumped back into her fighting stance. "And I want you to fight me!!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Haruka saw little kids peeking out from behind a few sliding doors. Yuka noticed too. She looked at them, then back at Haruka.

"Tch," She snapped. "No way."

"What?!" Haruka yelled. A few older boys began to walk out of the rooms. "Why the hell not?!"

"Because!" Yuka snapped. "I already made a stupid move today! I don't need to make another!"

Haruka cocked her head to one side. "A stupid move?" She said. "I don't think there are stupid moves." Yuka's eyes narrowed, and she kept walking; Haruka still stood in place. "Everything has a reason!" She exclaimed. "Whatever you did today… it all led up to you meeting me!"

"Yeah," Yuka began, "A stupid move on my part. That's two—"

Haruka ignored her and continued. "For whatever reason, you and I were supposed to meet!" She exclaimed. Yuka walked to a door and slid it open. "And I doubt it's for nothing!"

Yuka chuckled. "Whatever." She said as she slipped into the room.

Haruka stood in the same spot, fists clenched and teeth barred. Suddenly, she felt her shoulder get hot. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that she was steaming. Sighing, she walked out of the dojo—this was NOT the place to make a fire.

Haruka walked out and sat on a large rock. She set her stuff down on the floor, crossed her legs, and arms behind her back, and sighed.

This wasn't going to be easy…

* * *

Yuka slammed her door shut and just stood in the doorway. She didn't move. Finally, she stumbled over to her bed and sat down. She looked out her small window and spotted Haruka walking out to a rock.

Eyes narrowed, Yuka shut the blinds and turned on a light. The light was dull, but at least she could see.

Yuka sighed and surveyed her room. It was big enough for her and one other person, but that's how all the rooms were, even Koshiro's.

Yuka had her bed, a small nightstand, and a full mirror on the wall. She also had a trunk for her clothes and in the corner of the room there was a long tin bin for her swords—which she'd left at the training area.

'I'll get them later…' She thought, 'No one would dare touch them anyway…'

Yuka rested her head in her hands and took a deep breath. She glanced over at her nightstand and grabbed a small-framed picture.

The picture was entitled 'Shoshinsha Rui' or 'Beginner Class'. It was a picture of thirty or so boys, all of which kneeling down with wooden swords in hand. Koshiro was standing in the back, sword in his hand as well.

Yuka smiled as she traced her finger around each boy. She never did find out what ever happened to any of them. Not like they were here friends anyway. Yuka spotted her blue head immediately. She was kneeling in the second row, smiling. In front of her was a boy with green hair and a stern look on his face.

Next to Yuka was another girl with striking silver hair. She was laughing—trying to keep from laughing that is; she had her hand over her mouth—and put her fingers up behind Yuka's head.

Yuka—who had apparently just noticed—had her eyes looking straight up. She was smiling because of the girl, not the picture.

The boy with green hair was in mid eye roll. He looked irritated. Next to Koshiro was another girl with blue hair, although her hair was darker. She had a REAL sword in her hand, and she was smiling slightly.

Yuka loved this picture. She'd kept it on her nightstand for ten years. Yuka set the picture down and picked up another picture.

This picture was just of Yuka and the silver haired girl. Yuka was laughing; the silver haired girl had at least four sticks in each hand and two in her mouth.

Although there was no hint to it in the picture, Yuka knew what it was about. The picture was taken on the day the green haired boy arrived at the dojo. He had grabbed all of the wooden swords in the bin and had tried to fight Koshiro's daughter.

Yuka's smile faded into a frown as she remembered this. Slowly, she put the picture down.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. "C-come in!" Yuka exclaimed.

The door slid open and Koshiro walked in. "Yuka-chan," He began, "What're you doing in here? I thought you'd be out practicing."

Yuka snickered. "Yeah well…" She opened her blinds just enough to be able to see Haruka, who was throwing rocks around. "Not up for it… I guess."

Koshiro sighed. "Ah yes," He said, "That girl." He chuckled. "She's funny."

"You heard her?" Yuka asked, putting the blinds down.

"Of course." Koshiro said. "Who couldn't, with that mouth?"

Yuka laughed slightly, and then sighed. "Yeah… guess so…"

Koshiro noticed Yuka's pictures had been moved. He pushed his glasses up his nose and picked up the picture of the two girls.

"I don't know…" Koshiro said. "But… doesn't that girl remind you of someone?"

Yuka suddenly perked up. She looked at her sensei, eyebrow raised. Koshiro shrugged.

"Just a feeling." He said. He set the picture down and began to walk to the door. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"'k." Yuka muttered. Before Koshiro closed the door, he stuck his head in the room once more.

"I agree with her." He said as he began closing the door. "I think you two met for a reason too…"

* * *

That night, Haruka slept on the rock. Koshiro had offered her a room, but she refused, saying, "It'd be cool to sleep outside!"

So the next morning, Haruka wasn't surprised when she woke up on the ground. She'd fallen off the rock. Typical.

But what did surprise her was the dagger stick in the ground in front of her. She jumped up and—realizing she wasn't in danger—grabbed the dagger. Attached to the handle was a small piece of paper. Haruka ripped it off and read it.

_Noon. Main arena. Meet me there._

**^^ I feel so happy! Cuz I'm writing again!!**


	5. Battle

Chapter 4

_Koshiro's Dojo—Main arena floor_

Haruka stood in the doorway of a large wooden-floored open-roofed room. Many students had gathered and were standing against the walls. Others peered down from the roof.

Haruka took a deep breath, smiled, and walked into the room. A few students began clapping. Haruka scratched the back of her head. Then, a boy spoke up.

"Where's Yuka-sensei?" He said to no one in particular. Haruka raised an eyebrow. It was noon, and the blue haired swordswoman hadn't shown up!

Had she chickened out? Haruka shook her head. 'No way!' She thought. 'She'll show up!'

In a minute, a door slid open. Haruka was lying on the floor, legs crossed. Hearing the door, she sprang up, but quickly sat back down; it was the old man. Haruka groaned.

Koshiro smiled and took a step to the side. Yuka was right behind him, red eyes glowing. Her expression was blank, but there was obvious tension. Haruka snickered and stood up.

Yuka and Haruka walked to the middle of the arena. Koshiro followed behind them.

"This will be a fair fight." He announced. "No tricks; just your usual attacks."

Haruka smiled slyly. Yuka still stood like stone. At her waist was a wooden sword. Haruka cocked her head to one side.

"Haruka," Koshiro began, "Choose your weapon." Haruka snickered. She stepped into a fighting stance and cracked her knuckles, holding her fists up.

"Done." She said. Everyone seemed to be looking at her as if she had two heads—including Yuka.

"What?" Yuka whispered. Haruka kept eye contact and only smiled. "Fine." She said, stepping back into a fighting stance, "This will be quicker than I thought."

Haruka laughed. "Where are your other swords?" she asked. Yuka let out a soft 'tch'.

"Like I'll need them to kick your ass." She snapped. Haruka laughed.

"Alright," she said, "Your loss." Yuka raised an eyebrow. Koshiro stepped back, raised a hand over his head, and quickly dropped his arm.

"Begin!" He exclaimed. Immediately, Yuka jumped back. Haruka stood in place. Yuka took a deep breath and jumped at Haruka, who quickly dodged. The students—and Koshiro—watched in awe.

"Hold still, damn you!" Yuka exclaimed as Haruka continued to dodge. Haruka—quite happy with herself—kept smiling the entire time. Yuka barred her teeth together. Suddenly, she let go of her wooden sword with one hand and did a spin kick to Haruka's legs. Haruka went down hard.

Haruka began to stand up, but was met by the end of a wooden sword—Yuka's sword. The red-eyed girl smiled evilly down at her.

"See?" she said, "Told you." Everyone seemed frozen. No one made a sound. Haruka stared up at Yuka, eyes narrowed. Yuka tossed the wooden sword from hand to hand playfully. "And all I did was kick you down."

Haruka barred her teeth together. She could feel her cheeks getting hot. Not from embarrassment, but from…

Haruka suddenly smiled. Yuka raised an eyebrow. "Oi, oi, baka." She began, "I beat you. Why're you smiling?"

Haruka suddenly kicked the wooden sword out of Yuka's hand and jumped up. The sword went flying and Yuka ran to where it landed. By the time she had grabbed the sword she heard something behind her.

Yuka quickly widened her stance and swung the sword around her side. She saw Haruka out of the corner of her eye and she let out a loud battle cry.

And suddenly, everything seemed to stop. Yuka, panting and frustrated, only stared at Haruka in wonder and surprise. Again, the whole area seemed to be frozen.

Standing behind Yuka, was Haruka. Yuka's wooden sword was in one hand, and in the other was her green hat, which had blown off when Yuka tripped her.

Haruka only smiled. A bead of sweat slid down the side of Yuka's face. A small cloud of dust began blowing away from the two girls.

In the crowd, the older boys just stood, eyes wide and mouths wide open.

"N…no one has stopped Yuka-sensei's strike…!!" One whispered.

"Especially with their bare hands!" Another whispered back.

Haruka flapped her hat in the air and pressed it onto her black hair. She laughed softly.

"H-how?" Yuka whispered, staring from the wooden sword to Haruka's hand. Haruka looked up at Yuka and smiled.

"Told'ja I was strong!" she exclaimed. Yuka tried pulling the sword away, but with no luck; Haruka had an iron grip on the wood.

Suddenly, Yuka's hands began to get hot—REALLY hot. She gasped and let go of the sword, still glaring at Haruka.

"What the HELL are you?!" She exclaimed. Haruka squeezed the sword harder and suddenly—to everyone's astonishment—it began to smoke. In an instant, the wooden sword burst into flames and crumpled into ash.

"This is why I wanted you to use your real swords." Haruka laughed. Yuka growled. Balling her hands into fists, she sprinted to the side of the arena and swiped two wooden swords. Haruka laughed and held up her hand as Yuka barreled towards her.

"Take this!!" Yuka shouted as she jumped into the air. She was literally soaring at Haruka at full speed. Haruka smiled and lowered her gaze. With her hand extended in Yuka's direction, she placed her other hand on her forearm.

"Heat Wave!!" Haruka shouted. Yuka's eyes widened.

"What?!" She gasped. A huge gust of hot air slammed into Yuka like a ten-ton bus. She gasped in pain as she was sent flying backwards and into one of the dojo's walls. A few students had to jump out of the way.

As the dust settled, a few students standing against the wall began patting themselves down, shouting, "hot!"

Koshiro's eyes were extremely wide, as well as his mouth, and his glasses had slid down his face a little. Haruka scratched the back of her head and turned to him.

"S-sorry old man…" She said innocently. But Koshiro wasn't paying attention; nothing was happening beyond the newly formed hole in the wall. Haruka slowly walked over to it and opened her hand—palm up—in front of her. The area suddenly got cooler and cooler. Haruka waved her hand in front of her face to clear the dust. Finally, she spotted a flash of green—Yuka.

Smiling, Haruka walked over to the mass lying on the floor and laughed. "What's that you were saying?" She said. Yuka weakly lifted her head up and growled, her teeth barred.

"Sh…shut the hell up, damnit!!" she shouted. The wooden swords were gone by now and Yuka's clothes were singed. "What the hell kinda monster are you, huh?!"

Haruka said nothing, but walked over to Yuka. She offered the blue haired swordswoman her hand, but Yuka slapped it away.

"I'm… not finished!!" she exclaimed. Haruka crossed her arms.

"Looks like it to me." She said. Yuka squeezed her eyes shut and gave out a loud battle cry. She managed to jump up and kick at Haruka's legs again. Haruka jumped back until she was back in the Main Arena.

Yuka was pissed. She came running out of the hole and growled. "OI! SENSEI!!" She bellowed. "I THOUGHT YOU SAID NO TRICKS!!"

"He did." Haruka said. "He also said 'only your usual moves'. So I did."

Yuka's eyes widened furiously. "You call _THAT_ a usual move?!" She shouted; Haruka nodded.

Suddenly, a piercingly loud screech erupted from the sky. A few younger students ducked and covered their ears. The older kids stood in fighting stances.

"What the hell did you do now?!" Yuka shouted, grabbing Haruka by the collar. "What was that?!"

Before Haruka was able to answer, a small black dot appeared in the air. Yuka and the others looked up in terror. The ball—getting bigger by the second—was hurling towards the south side of the island.

Yuka's eyes widened more and her eyes seemed to glow more. She gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth.

"Oh God no!!" She shouted. Barring her teeth together, Yuka turned to the older kids. "You guys!" she shouted to the group standing along the wall she crashed into. "Get the younger kids inside! NOW!"

Haruka, unaware of what was going on, watched with her head cocked to one side.

Yuka pointed to the rest of the boys. "The rest of you!!" She exclaimed, "Get your weapons ready!!" The boys looked startled. "We're under attack!!"

* * *

Yuka sprinted to her tiny room and threw the door open. She grabbed her four black swords and slung them over her back. Then, she ripped a drawer open. She hesitated at first, but then pulled out a dark red bandana and red haramaki. She slipped the haramaki around her waist and tied the bandana around her head.

When Yuka went to turn to leave, she came face to face with Haruka. Eyes narrowed, Yuka pushed passed her.

"Oi, oi." Haruka began, "What the hell's going on?" Yuka turned to her.

"What the hell do you THINK is going on!?" she snapped. "We're under attack!!" She began storming out of the building. "That bomb could hit at any—!!"

Suddenly, as if on cue, the entire island shook. A gust of wind flew through any windows. Yuka out her arms over her face and growled.

"Shit!" she shouted, running out of the building. Haruka followed her out the door, but stopped dead when she ran outside.

The entire south side of the island was covered in smoke. Yuka was running straight for the smoke could, screaming something Haruka couldn't quite make out. Yuka grabbed two of her swords and gripped them firmly in each hand. She extended her arms behind her and picked up the pace.

Haruka suddenly snapped out of her trance. Shaking her head, she tried to keep up with Yuka, but with no luck.

Haruka did manage to get herself lost in the smoke though. Cursing, Haruka walked aimlessly through the cloud. Suddenly, her knee hit something hard and she tumbled over.

Coughing, Haruka turned over to see what she had tripped on. She swatted smoke out of her face and found a small rock sticking up out of the ground. But, this wasn't just any ordinary rock. It was a tombstone.

Jumping up, Haruka brushed dirt and debris off of the lettering on the tomb.

It said:

_R.I.P._

_Kuina_

_A student, a teacher, a competitor, a daughter, a friend._

Under that was the date of birth and death. Haruka gasped when she read the date. According to this, the girl had died at age thirteen.

Suddenly, Haruka heard a loud wail from behind her. The voice was deep—deeper than anyone at the dojo anyway. Haruka spun around only to be met by a red-haramaki, red bandana clad girl—Yuka. Yuka's swords were in front of her blocking an attack from a man with many scars. The man had a crazy look in his eye as he glared at Yuka.

"Yuuuuuka-hime~" The man cooed. Yuka tensioned. "Is that yooou~!" He laughed menacingly. "Where have you been? The captain's been looking for ya!"

Suddenly, Yuka growled and spun her hands, sending the scarred man flying.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!!" Yuka screamed, lunging at the man again. Haruka shook her head and jumped up.

'What the hell's going on?!' She thought. Haruka held her hands out in front of her and closed her fists. The heat—and smoke—seemed to die down a little.

Now able to get a clear view of the area, Haruka gasped. A huge ship was docked at the shore and large men were pouring out of the hull.

Haruka just stood and stared. But suddenly, she heard another voice to her left. Spinning around and kicking a man in the jaw, Haruka put her fists up.

"That's it!" She exclaimed, "I dunno what the HELL's going on here…" She began running towards the ship—and Yuka. "But I'm stopping it!"

**dun dun dun! ^^**


	6. Towe

Chapter 5

_Koshiro Island— South Shore_

Haruka jumped over a large man and slapped the back of his head. Her hands were hot; the man screamed and fell over, slapping the back of his head. Suddenly, a bullet whizzed by, cutting a few hairs on the top of Haruka's head.

"Whoa!" She shouted. Men from the crowd had begun to pull out guns. Haruka noticed that a few older boys from the dojo began rushing towards the 'battle ground'. "Oi! Stop!!" Haruka shouted. They stopped dead. "I'll hold these guys off!!" Haruka exclaimed. The boys looked confused. "You guys just protect the dojo!"

"What about Yuka-sensei?!" One boy shouted back. Haruka glanced from the boys to the shore and sighed.

"Don't worry!" she exclaimed. "I'll handle it!"

The boys hesitated, but eventually began to take off towards the dojo. Haruka nodded and turned her attention back to the battle.

She rushed a few men and hit them with Heat Wave. Then, when a man tried to shoot her, Haruka used the heat from the gun to backfire on him.

After Haruka had taken out what seemed like an endless line of men, she continued to rush at the large ship. Earlier, she had seen Yuka dart inside. Nothing was happening, which was beginning to worry Haruka. There were no sounds, no movement, nothing.

Hesitantly, Haruka walked up to the ship and let loose another Heat Wave just to be safe. She walked through the humid area until she felt safe. Making sure the coast was clear, Haruka disarmed her attack.

Still, she could hear nothing. Gulping, she wandered through the abandoned looking ship. Finally, she came to an old wooden door. She reached her hand out to grab the knob, when suddenly something grabbed her from behind. Haruka screamed and spun around. Then, someone slapped a hand over her mouth: Yuka.

"Shut up, baka!" Yuka whispered fiercely. "Are you outta your mind?!"

"Yuka?" Haruka said, her voice muffled. Yuka took her hand off of Haruka's mouth and pushed past her. "What's going on?" Haruka asked. Yuka ignored her and pressed her ear against the door. After a few seconds, Yuka barred her teeth together. Then suddenly, her eyes widened.

"Get down!" She shouted, lunging at Haruka. Suddenly, the wooden door exploded, sending pieces of wood flying towards the two girls. Yuka jumped up and pulled out one of her swords in an attempt to block the wood.

When the hoard of wood had stopped flying, and as the dust was settling, a man's voice rang out. It was deep laughter coming from inside the room. It sent a chill down Haruka's spine, and a large silhouette appeared from out of the dust.

Haruka, still on the ground, could only look up at the huge man. He was at least six feet tall, most likely taller and wore a large blue and gold coat—like a stereotypical pirate—black pants, large boots, and a tight dark blue vest. He had black hair that came down to his ears and piercing black eyes. In his hand was a strange looking sword.

The sword's handle looked like a sun; metal twisted out from a gold center. The blade itself looked almost crocked. The man smiled, sending another chill down Haruka's spine. She glanced over at Yuka; she was standing in a fighting stance, swords in hand. Yuka's teeth were barred and her red eyes glowed fiercely from behind her red bandana.

The man laughed—or more like bellowed—again. Finding her courage, Haruka jumped up and cracked her knuckles. The man shot Yuka a strange look—Yuka didn't flinch.

"Yuuuuka~hime~!" The man cooed. Haruka gulped, glancing over at Yuka. "Such a pleasant surprise~!"

"Save it, asshole!" Yuka snapped. The man smirked.

"I never expected that _this_ is where you'd go~" The man said. "Back to your old school… Hah!"

Yuka's grip on her swords tightened. "What do you want?!" She barked. The man took a step towards her and suddenly, a piece of wood in front of him caught fire. Surprised, the man turned his attention to Haruka.

"Well, well!" He exclaimed. "What do we have here, huh, Yuka?" He laughed harder. "You got yourself a little lackey?"

"No way!" Both girls snapped. For a moment, they only glanced at each other.

"No way I'd have someone like HER as a lackey!" Yuka shouted. Haruka nodded.

"Yeah!" She exclaimed. "'Cause I'm her captain!!" Yuka's eye twitched.

"NO YOU'RE NOT!!" She screamed. The man laughed even harder.

"Oh, I see!" He bellowed, "You leave MY crew and join a second-rate pirate crew like hers!"

"Hey!" Haruka shouted. "My crew's not second-rate!! And also—" Haruka cut herself off and looked over at Yuka. "You… were already on a pirate crew?"

Yuka was steaming. She gripped her swords so hard her knuckles turned white. Then, she snapped.

"THAT'S IT!!" She screamed, charging at the large man. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!" As Yuka lunged at him, the man ducked back into the room. Yuka growled loudly and screamed. "TOWE!!"

Suddenly, Haruka was blown backwards as Yuka's sword collided with 'Towe's' sword. The two of them seemed to be frozen—every once in a while one of them would try to overpower the other. Bu it seemed the two of them were equally matched.

Or not.

Suddenly, Towe laughed and twisted his wrist. His sword spun around Yuka's, sending it flying and almost hitting Haruka. Luckily she was able to duck in time. Towe snickered as he ran at Yuka, sword out in front of him. Trying not to lose her balance, Yuka tried to stab the ground in order to catch her footing. Unfortunately, she was too slow.

Yuka managed to stab the ground, but as soon as she did, Towe's foot collided with her stomach, sending her flying into the wall and out of the ship.

"Yuka!" Haruka shouted. Towe then turned his attention to the black haired girl. Haruka's eyes widened as he swung his sword at her head. She barely managed to dodge before Towe's foot was swung at her. Haruka barred her teeth together and grabbed Towe's foot. At first nothing happened. Then, Towe cried out in pain; Haruka's hands were steaming, burning his foot.

While Towe was 'distracted', Haruka rushed out of the ship and onto the main land. Yuka had landed on a bush—to Haruka's relief—and wasn't badly injured. Only a few cuts and bruises, but she was otherwise all right.

And angry. Very angry.

Yuka coughed a few times before standing up. She brushed herself off, and then grabbed the sword that had gone flying. Yuka looked around; she spotted her other two swords and grabbed them, unsheathing them as she ran towards the ship again. But suddenly, Yuka—and Haruka, who was trying to see if she was ok—stopped dead. A small trickle of blood slid down Yuka's cheek; there was now a small cut under her eye.

From the ship, Towe laughed menacingly. In his hand was a giant gun, pointed right at Yuka. Haruka looked from Towe to Yuka and noticed something.

Yuka was afraid. No, terrified.

Yuka just stood in place, eyes wide and almost shaking. Of course, she was staring down the barrel of a HUGE gun, so there was reason to be afraid, but Yuka was shaking.

Haruka balled her hands into fists. Towe's attention was on Yuka now; she had time to plan an attack.

As Towe lifted the gun over his shoulder, Haruka dove behind a rock. Meanwhile, Towe had begun laughing—again.

"What's wrong, Yuka-hime?" He cooed. "Scared? Aha!"

Yuka gulped. Yes, she _was_ afraid. She _hated_ guns with a passion. And Towe's gun… was _huge_.

Towe continued. "You know _exactly_ what I want." He held the gun up again. "So why don't you just give it to me?"

Yuka's eyes widened. "Y-you know I don't have it!" She shouted, her voice cracking. Towe raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" He said, holding the gun pointed towards Yuka. "Well that's just too bad…"

Yuka gasped and her whole body jerked; she couldn't move. Suddenly, a loud high-pitched scream rang out.

"HEY, BASTARD!!" It was Haruka. She was standing on top of the rock she'd hid behind. In her hand was a bow-and-arrow made of a few thick vines and sticks and a rubber band. "EAT THIS!!"

Haruka stretched the rubber band back behind her head and let it go. The arrow—a thick stick with a carved point—went soaring towards Towe. Towe only laughed. But suddenly, the arrow caught on fire. Haruka smiled.

"Yes!" She whispered. Towe easily dodged the arrow, but as soon as it hit the ground—the dock of his wooden ship—it caught the ground around him on fire. Eyes wide, Towe jumped up and over the flames. When he landed, he came face to face with the tip of a long blade: Yuka's sword.

Breathing heavily, Yuka had her sword aimed at Towe's neck. She glared at him from behind her bandana. Towe merely glanced up at her and laughed. Yuka raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly, Towe let out a loud high-pitched whistle. Yuka raised her sword, but suddenly, something hit her in the back of the head, knocking her over. Haruka gasped.

"Yuka!" She exclaimed. The man with the scars from earlier was standing over Yuka, grinning. Towe stood up and cracked his knuckles.

"You say you don't have it?" He said. Yuka looked up at Towe and growled. Towe laughed, kneeling down. "Well," He whispered. "Next time… you'd _better_ have it. You hear me?"

Yuka didn't answer. Towe snorted and stood up, spitting next to Yuka. He turned to the scarred man and motioned towards the ship.

Haruka balled her hands into fists. "HEY!" She screamed. Towe stopped. "WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, ASSHOLE?!"

Towe turned around and smiled. "I have no more business here." He said blankly. "She doesn't have what I want, so I'm outta here."

Haruka felt her shoulders get hot. Towe noticed too and he snapped his fingers, walking towards the ship. The man with the scars pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at Haruka. It was a small ball looking thing and as soon as it hit the ground, it exploded, sending yellowish gas everywhere.

With one breath, Haruka fell to her knees, coughing. She closed her eyes tightly before finally losing consciousness.

* * *

"Aah!" Haruka shot up and looked around; she was lying in a small bed in a white room.

"Thank goodness!" A man's voice said. Haruka found the door; Koshiro was just walking in. "You've been out for a little while now." He said. Haruka scratched the back of her head.

"Y-yeah… well…" she began, "That bastard cheated…" Koshiro laughed. "Is… everyone ok?"

Koshiro hesitated. "Yes." He said. "None of the students were injured, thanks to you." Haruka blushed. Then, she noticed there was a bed next to hers.

"Ah!" She exclaimed. "Yuka! What about Yuka?!" Koshiro hesitated again. Then, he glanced towards the window. Yuka was standing on a rock overlooking the sea, swords strapped to her back.

"She woke up about half an hour ago." Koshiro said. "She's been out there since."

Haruka sighed, leaning back. "Is she ok?" Koshiro sighed.

"She will be." He said. There was a moment of silence. Finally, Koshiro spoke. "Yuka-chan…" He began. "Was once a pirate…"

Haruka nodded. "That bastard said that, yeah…" She said. Koshiro nodded.

"She was able to escape him after coming to an agreement…" He said. "Whatever Towe wants… he has a fixation with the idea Yuka has it…" He sighed. "But now… he left so quickly… I fear he's gotten a new idea…"

"What do you mean?" Haruka asked. Koshiro pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"Yuka isn't the only person who joined Towe's crew from this island…" He said. Haruka thought about the pictures in Yuka's room.

"The gray haired girl." She said. Koshiro nodded.

"They both joined—and left—at the same time…" He sighed. "But I haven't seen her in years…"

* * *

In a few hours, Haruka had gotten all her stuff—and supplies—packed and ready to go. Koshiro and a few older boys had gotten her a new boat big enough for four people. Haruka said she'd do whatever she could to pay them back one day, then headed towards the shore.

As Haruka walked out the main door, she bumped into Yuka, who was also going out.

"Y-yuka…" Haruka said. Yuka smiled.

"I wanted to thank you." She said. "For… earlier." Haruka smiled.

"It was nothing!" She exclaimed. "So… does this mean you're leaving?"

Yuka sighed. "Yeah…" She said blankly. Haruka beamed.

"Alright!" She exclaimed. Yuka cleared her throat.

"Baka." She said. "I'm leaving… 'cause if I stay here, Towe will come back, and I've realized I can't take care of this place."

Koshiro, who had just walked up behind the tow girls, widened his eyes.

"Y-yuka-chan!" He exclaimed. Yuka turned to him and bowed.

"I'm sorry, sensei." She said. "It's best if I leave." She sighed. "I-I mean, you've said it yourself, you really don't need me a-anymore."

And with that, Yuka walked around Haruka and headed for the shore, leaving Koshiro, Haruka, and several students standing in utter awe.

* * *

Haruka swung her bag into the sailboat and jumped in. Koshiro smiled from the shore.

"I wish you good luck." He said, shaking Haruka's hand.

"You too!" Haruka exclaimed. "Good luck with the boys."

A few boys on shore looked like they were going to cry. "Take us with you!" One blurted out. Haruka laughed.

"Sorry boys!" She said.

"But you've got a position open!" Said another. Haruka scratched the back of her head.

"Sorry, but no." She said. Haruka noticed Yuka come walking out of the dojo, bag in hand and swords strapped to her back. For a moment, their eyes met, and then Yuka kept walking. Haruka dropped her gaze.

"Well we all hope you have a safe journey." Koshiro said. Haruka smiled.

"Thanks." She said. She untied the sailboat and kicked off of the shore. The boys from earlier began heavily crying. "Bye!!" Haruka shouted, waving. "Thanks for everything!!"

"Bye Haruka-chaaan!!" The boys cried. Suddenly, a hand rested on one of the boys' shoulders.

"What did I teach you about crying?" A voice said: Yuka. The boys looked up at her. She had her bags and swords slung over her shoulder and she was… crying. "If you guys c-cry… how's that gonna make me look as a teacher?"

Koshiro turned towards Yuka and put his hands on her shoulders. Then, Yuka suddenly lunged at him and embraced him, crying. Koshiro hugged Yuka back.

"You know…" Koshiro said, holding back tears. "Haruka-chan said she's willing to do anything for her nakama…" He paused as Yuka wiped her eyes. "Even help them find old friends…"

Yuka's eyes widened. She let go of Koshiro and looked up at him; he was looking out at the sea. Haruka's sailboat was still in view.

"Yuka." Koshiro whispered. "Go… there's nothing stopping you."

Yuka looked up at Koshiro and tears streamed down her face. She frantically wiped them and nodded. Grabbing her bag, Yuka rushed towards the sea, waving to her students.

"BYE SENSEI!!" The entire advanced class cried—all consisting of thirteen to fifteen year old boys. The younger kids were crying as well.

"I'LL SEE YOU ALL LATER!!" Yuka cried. "LEARN SOMETHING WHILE I'M GONE!!"

From her sailboat, all Haruka could see was a bag hurling towards her. She narrowly dodged as the whole boat shook. Yuka jumped on and waved back at the island.

Haruka, dazed, just stared at the blue haired girl. "Yuka?" She said. Yuka laughed. "Y-yuka?!"

"What's up?" Yuka said, smiling. Haruka beamed and jumped into the air.

"YES!!" She screamed. Suddenly, Yuka pulled her back down.

"Baka! You're gonna tip us!" She shouted. Haruka laughed.

"I got a swordswoman!!" she exclaimed. Yuka laughed. "You know, we really do make a pretty good team."

"If you're not fooling around." Yuka said jokingly. By now, Koshiro's island was a tiny dot in the distance. Yuka wiped her eyes and laughed. "Well look at this…" She began, "I'm a pirate again… Eh, captain?"

Haruka couldn't control herself. "YAHA!!" She screamed. "Grand Line, HERE WE COME!!"

* * *

**Status Update: Kazuya, Haruka Age: 21**

**Hair: Black with a green highlighted front**

**Eyes: Green**

**Ambition: **_**To become Queen of the Pirates!**_

**Occupation: Pirate Captain**

* * *

**Status Update: Yuka **

**Age: 18**

**Hair: Blue**

**Eyes: Red**

**Ambition: **_**unknown**_

**Occupation: Swordswoman/Pirate**

* * *

Not too far away…

_SPLASH!!_

"Get back here you!!" A man in a small sailboat shouted, wagging his fist in the air. A girl had just jumped off of his boat and into the water.

The girl poked her head above water and smiled. "Sorry!" She exclaimed. "But I need this!" She held up a small sack filled with coins. "Bye, bye!" and with that, the girl jumped out of the water and dove back in.

The man in the boat stood, awe struck, on his boat. "Wh-what… what was that?!" he shouted. "Did I just see what I thought I saw?!"

A hundred feet away, the girl poked her head back up.

"Was that…" The man began, "A MERMAID?!"

The girl only laughed.

* * *

**Enter: Tsunami, Mizu **

**Age: 18**

**Hair: Blue-black**

**Eyes: Icy blue**

**Ambition: **_**Unknown**_

* * *

**note that Tsunami Mizu belongs to Miorochi ^^**


	7. To Baratie

Chapter 6

_Somewhere in East Blue_

"Are we there yet?" Haruka groaned. She and Yuka had been sailing for days with no sign of any islands or other ships.

From the other side of the small sailboat, Yuka groaned back. "Where exactly are we headed, anyway?"

Haruka moaned. "Uuummm…" She muttered. Yuka lifted her head up and raised an eyebrow.

"You mean to tell me you don't even have any IDEA where you want to go?!" She exclaimed. Haruka laughed.

"Of course I do!" She said. "To the Grand—!"

"Grand Line, I know." Yuka cut in. "But, if you haven't noticed, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!!"

Haruka blinked. "Well this sea has to lead somewhere." She said. Yuka groaned and laid her head back down. "C'mon, Yuka! It's an adventure!"

Yuka sighed. "So how do you expect to find One Piece, or the Grand Line for that matter, with only the two of us, a sailboat, and—" Yuka looked over at a small sack at the back of the boat. "—Two days worth of food?"

Haruka scratched the back of her head. "Aha," she began, "That could be a problem…"

"My thoughts _exactly_." Yuka said. She sat up and looked around. "…Wow…"

"What?" Haruka asked. Yuka laughed.

"We are so lost." She said. Suddenly, Yuka heard something. She muttered something under her breath and squinted towards the water.

"What?" Haruka asked again.

"Shh…" Yuka said. Haruka crossed her arms. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Haruka asked. Yuka turned around and shrugged.

"I thought I heard someti…" Her voice trailed off and her eyes widened. Yuka's jaw hung wide open.

Haruka cocked her head to one side. "Yuka? Are you ok?"

Yuka raised her arm and pointed behind Haruka, but up. Nervously, Haruka turned around. A HUGE sea monster looking fish had it's head right behind Haruka. Haruka's eyes widened.

"Don't… move…" Yuka whispered. The sea monster blew out its nose, sending warm air over the two girls. Haruka gulped.

"What do we do now?" She whispered.

"Why do you think I know?" Yuka whispered fiercely. The sea monster stretched its neck into the air and roared. Yuka grabbed a paddle, thrust one at Haruka, and screamed, "ROW!!"

The tow girls took off like a rocket, with the sea monster right behind them. Haruka started laughing.

"HOW IS THIS FUNNY?!" Yuka screamed. Before Haruka could answer, the sea monster slammed its head into the tiny sailboat, splitting it in half. Yuka and Haruka went flying in different directions.

"Haruka!" Yuka shouted. She held her breath and dove under water. But as soon as she went under, she was met with a huge tail—the tail of the sea monster.

The tail slammed into Yuka's stomach and sent her flying out of the water.

Yuka landed with a _THUD_ on a piece of the sailboat. She hit her head hard and lost consciousness.

* * *

Haruka woke to the sound of humming. Her eyes snapped open and she shot up.

"Oh, you're awake~!" A voice said. Haruka around. She was lying in a small rowboat. Haruka rubbed her head and coughed.

"Hello?" She said.

"Down here." The voice said. Haruka peeked over the side of the rowboat. Hanging onto the side of it was a girl that looked Yuka's age. She had bluish-black hair that hung a few inches past her shoulders. The girl had the iciest blue eyes Haruka had ever seen.

Swimming next to the girl was a small white seal. The seal looked up at Haruka and barked playfully.

"Where am I?" Haruka asked. The girl smiled.

"No idea." She said. Haruka laughed.

"Well then I'm right where I was before." She said. Then, Haruka raised an eyebrow. "Why're you in the water?"

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Hm?" She said. Then she looked down at the water. "Oh~!" she said. "Uh, hang on."

The girl did something Haruka would have NEVER expected: she hoisted herself into the boat, but when she was in, Haruka saw that this girl was no ordinary girl.

The girl had the top half of a human, but the bottom half of a fish…

She was a mermaid!!

Haruka just sat there, awestruck. "You… you're a…!!" She managed to say. The girl dropped her gaze.

"Yeah, I'm a mermaid." She said almost sadly. Haruka beamed.

"THAT'S AWESOME!!" She exclaimed. The girl looked up at her, surprised.

"It… it is?" She asked. Haruka nodded.

"I'm Haruka!" She exclaimed, sticking out her hand. "Kazuya Haruka. What's your name?"

The girl smiled. "Tsunami Mizu." Her seal barked. "And that's Jinta. Nice to meat you!"

* * *

Yuka groaned. Her eyes fluttered open slowly. She grabbed her head and coughed.

"Oww…" She moaned. "Oi, baka," She said, "why didn't you hit it with an attack?" Suddenly, she realized she was alone and remembered what happened earlier. Yuka shot up and gasped. "HARUKA?!" She shouted. But she was completely alone. "Ha…ruka…" She whispered. Yuka pound her fist against the wood she was floating on. "Damn… sea!!"

Suddenly, Yuka was hit with a small wall of water. Spitting salt water out of her mouth, she growled.

"Sorry!" A voice said. Yuka rubbed water out of her eyes and looked around. A girl was swimming in the water in front of her, holding onto a small rowboat.

Suddenly, a head popped out of the boat. "Hey Yuka!" It was Haruka. Yuka blinked.

"Haruka?" She hissed. Suddenly, Yuka barred her teeth together. "Haruka!!" she jumped up and lunged at the rowboat. "Why didn't you attack that—" but Yuka slipped off of the wood and fell head first into the water.

Haruka and the girl laughed. Yuka came up a second later and growled. "You ok?" Haruka asked. Yuka hoisted herself into the boat.

"_Perfect_." She muttered. Yuka peered over the side of the boat.

"Hi!" The girl said. "I'm Mizu." Yuka nodded.

"Yuka." She said. "Nice to meet you." Haruka poked Yuka's shoulder.

"Hey, you gotta see this!" she exclaimed. "Mizu! Show her! Please?!"

Mizu laughed. "Ok… I guess." Mizu lifted herself into the rowboat. Yuka's eyes widened when she saw her fish tail.

"Isn't that cool?!" Haruka exclaimed. Yuka smiled and nodded.

"Yeah." She said. Haruka smiled.

"Mizu's our new financial agent!" She exclaimed. Yuka smiled.

"Oh, that's cool—WHAT?!" She exclaimed. "Haruka?! You don't even know what that means, do you?"

Haruka only laughed. "It's fine, it's fine." She said. Yuka slapped her forehead.

"How are we going to be able to go anywhere with a mermaid?!" She exclaimed. Mizu smiled.

"It's cool." She said. "Watch." Mizu took a small blue clip out of her hair and pushed the center. The clip turned a lighter shade of blue and suddenly, Mizu looked like a normal human. She was wearing a dark blue T-shirt over a long sleeve fish net shirt, jeans, and a pair of dark blue tennis shoes.

Both Yuka and Haruka's eyes were wide. "How'd you do that?!" Haruka exclaimed.

Mizu smiled. "It's a defense mechanism." She said. "Against fishers and stuff."

Yuka sighed. "Damn." She said. Mizu laughed.

"Yeah… well," she began, "Can we keep this—" she reverted back to her mermaid form, "—a secret?"

Yuka and Haruka looked at each other. "Of course." They both said. Mizu sighed happily and turned back into her human form.

"Thanks!" she exclaimed. Suddenly, Mizu's small white seal—Jinta—jumped into the boat and onto Mizu's lap. Mizu stroked his back and sighed. "So where are you headed?"

Again, Yuka and Haruka looked at each other. "No idea." They both said. Mizu laughed.

"Any suggestions?" Haruka asked. Mizu raised an eyebrow.

"Well," she began, "there is this floating restaurant—"

"There!" Yuka said suddenly. "We need to go _there_."

* * *

In half an hour, Mizu had gotten the three of them close to a huge floating mass in the middle of nowhere.

"That's Baratie." Mizu said. "The floating restaurant."

"Wow!" Haruka exclaimed. Yuka smiled.

"Good," She said. "I'm hungry."

Suddenly, Haruka noticed a large Marine ship sitting next to a large ship with a wooden sheep in the front.

"What the heck's that?" Haruka asked. Yuka noticed Mizu quickly switch to human form.

"Pirate ship." Yuka said.

Suddenly, a canon ball erupted from the Marine ship and soared towards the pirate ship. Haruka and Mizu gasped.

"What the hell?!" Haruka exclaimed. Suddenly, a boy with a straw hat on jumped into the air.

"Gomu gomu no… balloon!!" He exclaimed. The boy's body suddenly expanded like a balloon. The canon ball hit him in the stomach and totally bounced off of him.

"WHOA!!" Mizu and Haruka exclaimed. The canon ball went flying at Baratie and slammed into one of the upper rooms.

"Wow…" Haruka sighed. The boy snapped back to his original size and fell back onto the ship.

"This is what you typically find out here." Yuka said. Mizu nodded. Suddenly, Mizu and Haruka noticed Yuka stiffen up.

"Oi," Haruka said, "Yuka? You ok?"

Yuka didn't answer. Her eyes were fixed on one of the men on the straw-hat boy's ship.

"Yuka-san?" Mizu said. Yuka seemed to snap out of her trance.

"I'm fine." She said. "J-just… let's go; I'm hungry…"

* * *

The girls walked into Baratie just in time to see a pink haired man get kicked across the floor by a man with a peg leg. The pink haired man landed a few feet from the girls and Haruka bust out laughing.

Now all eyes were on them.

"I think we're in the right place!" Haruka exclaimed. Suddenly, a large man raced up to them.

"Welcome, ladies~!" He exclaimed. "Let me get you to your table~!" Mizu and Yuka looked at each other; Haruka happily followed the man.

When the girls were seated, they continued watching the "show"

"Get outta my restaurant!" The man with the peg leg shouted. The pink haired man was obviously pissed.

Suddenly, the doors burst open again and a bloody marine came stumbling in.

"Lieutenant Fullbody!!" He shouted. "It's an emergency!!" The man panted furiously. "I-I'm sorry, but… both of our captives have escaped!!"

"What?" The pink haired man managed.

"Creek's crewman has escaped!!" The marine continued. "And so has that beast—!!"

But the man was cut off as a bullet shot through him. The man fell lifelessly to the floor. People around the girls gasped and shot out of their chairs, including Mizu. Yuka stayed put. Haruka looked confused.

In walked a very skinny and sickly looking man. "Here comes another customer." The big man said.

"He better not disturb my restaurant." The man with the peg leg said.

Haruka suddenly noticed the boy from earlier standing next to the peg leg man. She smiled.

The skinny man walked right past the pink haired man and sat down. He put his feet up on the table and sighed. "Just get me something to eat." He said. He had a pistol in his hand. "This is a restaurant, right?"

The big man rushed over and beamed. "Welcome, sir!" He exclaimed. Everyone around was surprised.

"I'll say it again, so you better listen." The skinny man began. "I am the customer, so get me some food now!"

"That chef's going to die." The pink haired man said.

"I'm most sorry, moron." The big man said. "Do you have any money?"

The skinny man pointed the pistol square in the middle of the man's forehead.

"Do you want me to pay with a bullet?" He said. "'Cause I ain't got any money."

The big man frowned. Suddenly, she slammed both fists into the skinny man and sent him flying onto the ground.

Mizu started coughing hard. She stumbled into her chair and tried to calm down.

"You ok?" Haruka asked. Mizu nodded.

"If you don't have any money," The big man exclaimed. "You're not a customer."

Yuka, Haruka, and Mizu looked at each other. Suddenly, they all began frantically searching their pockets. Mizu had a lot of money, to Yuka and Haruka's relief.

The big man began kicking and screaming at the skinny man. Mizu turned around and noticed a tall blond boy slip into the kitchen.

"Everyone continue eating~!" The big man exclaimed, bowing. The onlookers cheered.

* * *

A few minutes later, the blond boy came back into the room and walked over to the girls' table. There were hearts in his eyes… literally.

"Beautiful ladies~!" He exclaimed. "What can I get you this evening~?" Haruka and Mizu looked at each other and giggled.

Haruka and Yuka gave the boy their orders and handed him their menus. Mizu had a strange look on her face.

"Umm…" She began, "D-do you have anything without meat in it?"

The blond boy was still beaming. "I'm very sorry, but no~" He said. Haruka put her hand on Mizu's shoulder.

"I'll eat whatever you don't," she said. Mizu smiled.

"Thanks." She said. Mizu gave the blond boy her order and he swooned over them again before disappearing into the kitchen.

Suddenly, the door creaked open again and in walked a boy with a long nose, an orange haired girl, and…

Yuka gasped. "Haruka!" She whispered. "Let me borrow your hat!"

"Why?" Haruka asked. Yuka gave her a 'please!' look and Haruka took off her hat. Yuka shoved it onto her head and over her eyes.

Among the group that walked in, a green haired boy seemed to be eyeing Yuka suspiciously. Yuka blushed furiously.

'Please!' She thought, 'Don't notice me!!'

* * *

_A day later…_

Haruka, Mizu, and Yuka were sitting in Baratie again. They ordered the same thing they had ordered the day before (because it was the cheapest thing they liked) and began eating.

Mizu had separated the meat from the rest of her food with her fork. Haruka noticed and decided to ask her.

"You don't eat meat?" she said. Mizu looked around and began whispering.

"I _am_ half of the stuff in my meal…" She whispered. "I'm a vegetarian."

Suddenly, the doors of the restaurant burst open again. Standing in the doorway, snarling extremely loudly was a huge tiger.

Almost everyone in the restaurant began screaming. The tiger roared. It was very thin and its legs seemed to be shaking, as if it was very weak. The tiger looked around. Chefs began pouring into the room. Suddenly, the tiger spotted Mizu and it's eyes seemed to widen. So did Mizu's.

In one swift movement, the tiger lunged at Mizu (snarling), knocked her over, and swiped the meat off of her plate—without touching the rest of her food. The momentarily, Mizu's and the tiger's eyes locked. But then, the tiger jumped off of her, gulp down the meat, and turned around. The chefs were all standing with knives in their hands. The tiger moaned weakly and jumped over them, flying out the door.

Haruka and Yuka rushed over to Mizu. "Are you ok?!" Haruka shouted. A few chefs rushed over as well.

Mizu was panting hard and startled, but ok. With help, she was back on her feet.

"Ha-haruka… Yuka?" Mizu managed. "I-I… I don't think that was a normal tiger…"

A few chefs raced out the door after the tiger. In less than half an hour, they were back with no luck.

* * *

Mizu walked outside a few minutes later and walked to the back of the restaurant. She leaned against the railing and took a few deep breaths.

Suddenly, she began coughing again. She covered her mouth and fell to her knees. When her coughing fit was over, Mizu looked at her hands—they were covered in blood.

Mizu's eyes widened. She reached in between the rails and washed her hands off. Mizu quickly wiped a tear from her eye and dried her hands.

Suddenly, a low moan from behind her made Mizu jump, but she remained kneeling. "H-hello?" She managed. She saw movement in a dark corner and she jumped to her feet. 'The tiger?!' she thought.

A gigantic paw appeared from the dark, but the next step was that of a human.

Out of the dark corner came an extremely skinny and weak looking man—but he was different from the one from the day before. This man had long bluish-black hair that hung past his shoulders. His left eye was covered and his right eye was a golden yellow color with a small slit looking pupil.

The man was wearing a black flannel shirt with a red collar that was unbuttoned. Underneath was a white T-shirt with a hole in it. He was also wearing a pair of black pants with the right knee ripped out. His feet were bare and a little dirty too.

But on top of this, the man looked… nice. He was extremely skinny and pale, but he had a sweet look on his face.

And yet, Mizu was still freaked out.

The man took two steps towards her and collapsed onto his knees. Mizu hesitated, but rushed over to him. He was breathing, but his breath was raspy and cracked.

Mizu jumped up and began panicking. She noticed the back door of the restaurant was open and raced through it.

She had no idea who this guy was, but he needed help—BADLY.

* * *

**so who is this mysterious man? And what was with the tiger? You'll have to review to find out!!**


	8. The Second Day at Baratie Part 1

Chapter 7

_Baratie, Dining Hall_

Mizu rushed into the dining room and zipped straight over to Haruka and Yuka's table. Sensing some panic, Haruka and Yuka gave each other weird looks.

Mizu slapped her hands onto the table. "Guys!" She whispered. "I…I need some of your food!"

Yuka crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. Haruka just stared at her friend.

"Wha…what?" She said. Mizu gulped.

"J-just the meat…" She said. "I-it's an emergency!"

Yuka glanced over at Haruka and nodded. They pushed any meat they had onto a plate and handed it to Mizu. She thanked them quickly and dashed out the door.

"Da hell was that about?" Haruka asked no one in particular. Yuka only rolled her eyes. Suddenly, she stiffened up again. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the green haired man look her way. She turned towards Haruka. "What?" She asked blankly.

"N-nothin'…" Yuka said sheepishly. Suddenly, Haruka noticed something behind Yuka. She smiled; it was the straw-hat boy from before.

"Oi, oi…" Haruka whispered. "Check out that kid behind us." Yuka's eyes widened and she bit her lip.

She gulped. "O-oh yeah…" She lied. "I-I saw him on the w-way in…"

Seconds ticked by. Both girls were silent. Finally, after hearing the green haired man talk, Yuka stood up.

"I-I'll be back." She said as she walked quickly to the bathroom, leaving Haruka all by herself.

"O…k…" She said, waving.

* * *

"Damn it all!" Yuka shouted, slamming her fists on the counter. "What is WRONG with me?!" She took Haruka's hat off and just looked at it for a few seconds. Then, she threw it to the other side of the counter. "It's just one guy… Just one damn guy!" Yuka covered her eyes with her hand. "But… No! No, it wouldn't be like last time… It _won't _be like last time…!!"

Yuka slammed her hand back down again. "What the hell is he doing here, anyway?!" She exclaimed, getting madder by the second. "With a bunch of pirates?! Even _he_'s not THAT stupid!!" Yuka brushed through her hair with her hand as she groaned and began pacing. "I've gotta get outta here…" She said suddenly. "Haruka and Mizu will be fine—they don't have bounties, but me—"

Yuka cut herself off and took a deep, shaky breath. She held her head with her hands and just stood there, trying to calm herself down. "No…" She whispered. "I can't leave; Haruka's depending on me… No way she'd be able to survive without some kind of help…! …But… now she has Mizu… and they seem to get along like best friends…"

Yuka stumbled over to a wall and leaned against it. After a few seconds, she punched the wall. "Baka!" she exclaimed. "What's wrong with you?! Getting all upset over this?! You could take him on…"

Yuka stopped herself from finishing. She just stood there for what seemed like forever, just staring at herself in the mirror.

"No…" She whispered finally. "No… I can't… I couldn't… I was too weak to even take on one _guy_… and it cost my best friend her life…"

* * *

After what seemed like forever, Yuka came out of the bathroom. She put Haruka's hat on as she walked through the door and suddenly—because of the hat—she slammed into someone big.

"Oh, I—" She began. She'd bumped into a man, and he cut her off.

"Sorry 'bout that." He said. Yuka's eyes widened. It was _him_!! Yuka kept her eyes on the ground and bit her lip hard. _Now_ she was panicking.

Quickly, she dashed past him and began speed walking towards the table. But suddenly, something caught Yuka by the arm: _HIM_.

"Hey," He said, "do I know you?" Yuka gulped hard.

"N-no… No!" she exclaimed nervously. She pulled out of his grasp and sped over to the table.

"Hey, you ok?" Haruka asked.

"I'm gonna go ch-check on our stuff." Yuka lied quickly. And with that, she sped out the door. Haruka slapped her forehead.

* * *

Mizu walked to the back of Baratie with the plate of food. She tried keeping it as far away from herself as possible, but it wasn't really doing her any good.

When she finally got to the back, the man was gone. Mizu checked the spot she'd found him in; he wasn't there. Sighing, Mizu set the plate down on the floor. Then, she walked around the corner and waited…

Finally, after a few minutes, Mizu heard a low moan—that of a hurt animal. She peered around the corner and saw the tiger from before hesitantly creep towards the plate. The tiger looked around and sniffed. He glanced in Mizu's direction; she hid from view.

When Mizu heard the plate shift on the ground, she peered back around the corner and gasped. The tiger was transforming—right before Mizu's eyes—into the man from before.

'I knew it!' Mizu thought. The man—after his transformation—limped his way over to the railing and slid down it. A long, orange and black striped tail began swatting at the plate, moving it closer. When the plate was close enough, the man leaned his head back and closed his eyes; the tail suddenly slid under him and disappeared.

The man crossed his legs and just stared at the plate. He picked up a piece of steak and sniffed it. Then, licking his lips, he lifted it above his head and opened his mouth.

Mizu's eyes widened. The man had fangs that were at least two or three inches long. The man suddenly dropped the steak back on the plate and closed his eyes. He sniffed in deeply and sighed.

"You can come out now…" He said. Mizu's eyes widened; he'd found her!

But, Mizu was a little shocked—besides the fact that he'd somehow spotted her. True, the man's voice was raspy and cracked, but it sounded… sweet … kind… maybe even… soothing…

Mizu gulped, her heart beating hard—which made her almost throw up. From around the corner, she heard… what sounded like… a _purr_.

"I won't hurt you…" The man said. "I promise." He was breathing heavily. Mizu peered around the corner a bit. The man _did_ look extremely weak. Of course, on the other hand, she'd just given food to the animal that had attacked her the day earlier!

Slowly, Mizu began creeping out from behind the corner. The man had his eyes closed, but he had a smile on his face. Mizu began retreating.

"Please…" The man said, his voice getting softer. "Did I hurt you yesterday?" He asked, as if trying to change the subject. Mizu said nothing. The man opened his eye; now Mizu knew why it looked strange—the man was a tiger; he had a tiger-eye.

Swallowing hard, Mizu stepped out again. The man took a deep breath and picked up the steak again. Mizu scaled the wall of Baratie, trying not to get close to the man. The man, on the other hand, seemed to be either ignoring Mizu, or letting her have her space. He bit into the steak and ripped a piece off easily with his fangs.

Mizu didn't look. The man placed the steak back on the plate. "Sorry." He said calmly. "Didn't know you… feel uncomfortable watching people eat meat."

For at least a minute, neither of them did anything. Then suddenly, Mizu heard a soft growl. She turned all her attention to the man and her eyes widened. He had a slight smile on his face and his hand was on his stomach.

"Ah, sorry…" He said jokingly. "That one was my stomach, honest." Mizu almost laughed… _almost_.

"…How…" Mizu began, "d-did you know I was there?" The man finally looked up at her. Their eyes locked for a second before Mizu looked away. The man sighed and quickly devoured the steak (considering Mizu wasn't looking).

"I was on the roof." He said. Mizu's eyes widened. "And I can also smell you…" He raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but… you smell like fish… and blood."

Mizu suddenly perked up. 'Damnit…' She thought.

The man continued. "That's how I knew you were coming… As soon as you opened the door, I could smell your blood… your _fear_." Mizu's heart raced, putting strain on her chest. "That's why I went on the roof."

"B-because you smelled me?" Mizu said difficulty. The man shook his head.

"Because I was…" He paused, slipping another bite of steak into his mouth, "…afraid…"

Suddenly, Mizu's head snapped towards the man's direction. She had her mouth hanging open slightly. This time, it was the man's turn to look away. He stared down at his lap, eyes half open, like he was struggling to keep them open.

This was the first real time she'd had to really look him over. He had a small bloodstain at the corner of his mouth, a cut on his cheek—which looked fairly fresh, say a week or so—and he looked beaten up. He had a large bruise on his neck and whenever he swallowed it looked painful. The man also had a scar that streaked from an inch or so above his collarbone to his chest—Mizu thought, because it disappeared under his shirt.

As Mizu glanced him over, she noticed that the man looked like he hadn't slept in… well, a long time. Even as she looked at him, he looked like he was ready to pass out. Mizu suddenly felt… a little sad for him.

Suddenly, Mizu heard a creaking behind her and she jumped. The back door opened and the blond haired cook from earlier stepped out. Mizu's eyes widened and she backed up in front of the tiger man, standing in a fighting stance… or a _partial_ fighting stance.

The cook glanced from Mizu to the tiger man without saying a word. Mizu balled her hands into fists as the cook took a step forward.

"Y-you're not hurting him!" she exclaimed without thinking. The cook seemed taken aback. He pulled a plate out from behind him and Mizu's fists began to relax.

Suddenly, she felt something soft hit her calf and she looked down; the tiger man had—finally—passed out, leaning his head against Mizu's leg.

**^^ I'm lovin' it.**

**Review please! Oh, and I'm making a survey, right here! ****Who's your favorite OC so far?**** Send the answer with your review please!**


	9. The Second Day at Baratie Part 2

Normal

Attack name

_Flashback_

Chapter 8

_Behind Baratie_

Mizu just stared at the blond haired man and back down at the tiger man. The blond haired man walked over and set the plate down in front of the tiger man. Then, he gave Mizu a small bow, and she noticed he had hearts in his eyes.

"My, my~!" He exclaimed. "I'm sorry I startled you, miss~!"

Mizu laughed. "It's ok." She said, "B-but… you're not going to…" She glanced down at the tiger man and then back at the blond haired man.

He shook his head. "I'm not like them." He said. Mizu breathed a sigh of relief. "My name is Sanji." The man said. "And may I have the honor of knowing your name~?"

Mizu blushed. "M-mizu." She said. "Tsunami Mizu." Sanji got down on one knee and took Mizu's hand.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you~!" He exclaimed, hearts still in his eyes. Suddenly, a small moan interrupted them. Sanji stood up and Mizu looked down at he tiger man. He was beginning to stir.

"He's waking up already?" Mizu whispered. She took a step away and noticed the tiger man seemed to be sniffing. Slowly, his uncovered eye opened and he stared down at the plate of food Sanji had gotten him.

Sanji and Mizu looked at each other. The man looked up at them, then back to the food. He picked up a piece and sniffed it—like he'd done before—before devouring it in one bite. The rest of the plate went quickly.

When he was done, the tiger man struggled to his feet. When he finally stood up, leaning on the railing, he gave Sanji and Mizu a small bow.

"Thank you." He said.

"You're welcome." Sanji and Mizu said at the same time. Mizu blushed.

The tiger man glanced over at the back door and began backing up. Sanji and Mizu turned, expecting to see something, or someone there, but there was no one. When they turned back, the tiger man was gone.

Sanji sighed. Suddenly, a voice from the kitchen made him groan. "Sanji! Get in here now!" Sanji grunted.

"I'm coming!" He shouted. He turned to Mizu and the heart eyes returned. "I have to go." He said. "I'm sorry. Will I see you back inside~?" He asked.

Mizu nodded.

"SANJI!!" The man inside screamed. Sanji walked through the back door, screaming back.

As soon as the door closed, Mizu started looking for the tiger man. "Hello?" she whispered. "Come back…!"

After a minute or two, Mizu sighed and gave up. She started walking back to the restaurant when suddenly she heard what sounded like someone clearing their throat and coughing at the same time.

Mizu walked back to where she and the man had first met. No one was there. Then suddenly, Mizu heard a loud _thud_ form behind her. She jumped and spun around; the tiger man had appeared behind her, but…

He apparently jumped from somewhere, but when he landed, he wiped out. He was on all fours, his arms and legs shaking. A small grunt was the only sound he made.

The man shook his head and tried to stand up. Since there was no railing to hold onto, he fell.

Mizu grabbed his sleeve just before he hit the ground and pulled him to his feet.

"Th-thanks…" He groaned. He stumbled over to the railing and leaned against it.

"You're welcome." Mizu said quietly. The man leaned his head back and closed his eyes, letting the wind whip though his long hair. Mizu just stared at him. "…"

"Yes?" The man said. Mizu shut her mouth quickly. The man smiled.

"W… I-I mean it's just…" Mizu began. "…I'm Mizu."

The man leaned his head forward and their eyes locked again. The man was still smiling. Mizu wanted to look away, but she couldn't.

"I know." The man said. Mizu's heart began beating fast again. The man closed his eye and laughed. "What I mean is…" He cleared his throat as his voice began to get raspier. "I heard you before."

Mizu gulped. "O-oh." She said simply. The man sighed and let his feet slowly slide under him until he was again seated against the rail.

"I'm Reach." He said. "Kodaigo Reach."

Mizu raised an eyebrow. "R-reach?" She said quietly. "Wh…I don't mean to be rude, but… What kind of name is 'Reach'?"

Reach smiled again, this time revealing his two two-inch fangs. "Whatever kind of name you want it to be." He said. Mizu's heart suddenly pounded and she went into a coughing fit again. She collapsed onto her knees.

Reach straightened up and got onto his knees. He put his hand on Mizu's back and began rubbing. Mizu's coughing fit slowly died down, and by the time it did, her hands and shirt were covered in blood.

Mizu was breathing hard and tears were streaming down her face. She'd coughed for at least two minutes—her longest fit ever.

Mizu sniffed and looked down at herself. "Oh… oh God…" she cried. She felt the hand on her back slowly disappear and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Reach began to shift backwards. His eye was squeezed tight and he was sweating. He now had both arms on the ground, keeping him up.

Shaking, Reach covered his mouth and nose with his hand. He slowly opened his eye again. Mizu noticed that he looked almost in pain.

"Are… you… ok?" Reach asked—his voice muffled. Mizu nodded slowly, looking down at herself again. Reach took his hand away from his face and let out a cracked breath. Now the both of them were panting.

Reach looked like he was ready to faint. He shook his head and got on all fours.

"H…h…hey…" Mizu managed to say. Reach shook his head again.

"I'll be back…!" He exclaimed. "S…stay here!"

* * *

**Enter: Kodaigo, Reach **

**Age: 24**

**Hair: Blue-black**

**Eyes: Yellow**

**Ambition: **_**unknown**_

* * *

Yuka ran out of Baratie and practically fell into the sailboat. She grabbed her bag and quickly pulled something out of it. It was a small green beaded necklace with a large blue 'Y' dangling from it.

Yuka held it up and closed her hand around it. 'What happened to us?' She thought. 'We were all so… happy… back then…'

Yuka lifted the necklace up to her neck and fastened it. Then, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes…

-

"_Yuka-chan! I made you something!"_

"_Oh~! It's so pretty!! I love it!"_

"_Thanks! I'm glad you like it."_

_-_

"_Let's stay friends forever, ok guys?"_

"_Yeah!"_

"_Definitely!"_

* * *

When Yuka woke up, she had no idea what time it was, how long she'd been out, or who'd seen her.

No one, she hoped.

But luckily, she still had Haruka's hat on, which covered her face. Yuka sat up and stretched, her body awkward from sleeping on the boat.

Suddenly, she jumped—seeing something out of the corner of her eye. It was Haruka.

"Haruka!" Yuka exclaimed. "Don't scare me like that!"

Haruka laughed. "Sorry, sorry." She said.

Yuka stood up and jumped onto the dock. She took Haruka's hat off and brushed though her hair with her hand. The wind was picking up.

"Have you seen Mizu?" Haruka asked. Yuka raised an eyebrow.

"Noooo…" she said, "I've been asleep." She handed Haruka her hat and put her blue hair into a ponytail. "You talk to that guy yet?"

"Huh?!" Haruka exclaimed. Yuka smiled.

"The one you keep swooning over?" She said. Haruka blushed.

"N-no." she said. Yuka crossed her arms. "Not yet. I'm working on it!"

Yuka sighed and shook her head. "You pay yet?"

"No." Haruka said. "Mizu's got all the money!" Yuka and Haruka just stared at each other. Then, Yuka smacked her forehead.

"Ok…" She said. "Just keep ordering drinks." Haruka raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because," Yuka began, "That way, we can wait until Mizu gets back instead of getting our asses kicked 'cause we've got no money!"

Haruka stared blankly. "Oh." She said. "Ok." She began to walk back into Baratie, but stopped. "How am I gonna drink everything?"

"Evaporate it." Yuka said. Haruka stared blankly again. Yuka sweat dropped. "Dry it up."

"Oh, ok!" Haruka exclaimed. She smiled and disappeared behind Baratie's front doors.

Yuka sighed and sat back down in the sailboat.

* * *

A few minutes after Reach had left, Mizu began to get worried. She could hear people in the kitchen and hoped they wouldn't come out. Especially when Reach got back.

_If_ he got back.

But then, still kneeling on the ground, Mizu heard a low moan. She turned, only to see a gigantic tiger coming straight at her. The tiger had something in its mouth. It walked right up to Mizu—who was close to panicking—and dropped a solid green, button up pajama top looking shirt.

Mizu stared at it, and then back at the tiger. The tiger looked her in the eye and backed away. He walked to the corner that Reach had stepped out of earlier—the one that hid him completely—but since a lot of time had passed, the corner was now in the sun.

Mizu saw the tiger gulp. It looked back at her and sighed hard. Suddenly, Mizu thought her heart skipped a beat (but she knew it didn't because she'd be having another coughing fit). The tiger was transforming!

First, it's back went from orange and furry, to black—a black shirt. Then came its legs. Its back legs went to black pants and dirty bare feet; its front legs went to black sleeves and hands. Finally, the giant tiger's head changed.

The fur turned black and grew extremely long. The fur on its face turned to skin and its left eye became covered by hair. At last, the tiger's tail retracted. The transformation was complete; Mizu gasped.

It was Reach.

He let out a deep breath and started panting again, as if 'it' was difficult to do. Reach sat down, one knee bent up by his chest, the other crossed under it.

Reach glanced over at Mizu for a fraction of a second. "Sorry…" He managed. "That—" He pointed at the shirt, "—was all I could get."

Mizu just stared at him. He said nothing and looked away.

"I'm… sorry you had… to see that." Reach said, almost sadly. Mizu looked down at the shirt. It was going to be a little big, but it was better than being in a bloody shirt all day.

Reach turned his whole body away and Mizu quickly changed her shirt. It was pretty comfortable.

"Where'd you get this?" Mizu asked.

"Are you done?" Reach asked. Mizu raised an eyebrow.

"…Oh! Oh, yeah… I'm done." She said, blushing. Reach turned back around.

"I… uh…" He began. "'Borrowed' it." Mizu tried not to laugh. She knew what he meant. He was _such_ a bad liar.

For a few minutes, neither of them said anything. Finally, Mizu broke the silence.

"S-so… that was…" she began, trying not to sound offensive.

"'Freakish'?" Reach suggested. Mizu blinked. He still wasn't looking at her. "'Demonic'?"

"I-I wasn't going to say that." Mizu said, blushing. "It was…"

Reach sighed. "I'm sorry about… taking off." He said, trying to change the subject. "It's just… blood—I…"

"Don't you pretty much eat blood when you eat… meat?" Mizu asked. Reach laughed quietly.

"Ironic… isn't it?" He said, looking up at the sky. Suddenly, he perked up, his eyes widening. "I have to go." He said quickly.

"Huh?" Mizu exclaimed. Reach leaped at Baratie and transformed in mid air. He climbed onto the roof and disappeared, leaving Mizu in complete awe.

Seconds later, Yuka came whipping around the corner. "Mizu! There you are." She said. "We need to pay; Haruka's holding the table up and—Where'd you get that shirt? …And… where's your other one?"

Mizu slid her bloody shirt behind her. "Oh, uhh… I got a huge stain on my other one, so one of the chefs gave this to me." She lied. Mizu pulled her bloody shirt out from behind her and quickly hid it again.

Yuka blinked. "O…k, well c'mon." she said. "_Hopefully_ we can get outta here by tomorrow."

Mizu followed Yuka around the corner. She glanced up at the roof worryingly, wondering if she'd ever see Kodaigo Reach again.

**^^ review please**


	10. Attack on the Restaurant

**I'm gonna start putting in a "Coming up" type thing at the bottom ^^**

Normal

_Flashback_

Attack name

Chapter 9

_Baratie's Dining Room, the next day_

Haruka and Mizu had gone to eat at Baratie for the third time. And again, they ordered the same thing they had before (at a discount, thanks to Mizu's new friend Sanji). Yuka had stayed on the boat.

Haruka had been keeping an eye on the boy with the straw hat. She'd already learned that his name was Luffy, he was a pirate captain, he was headed for the Grand Line, and he wanted Sanji as his chef. Haruka refused to believe she was stalking.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Haruka got a chance to talk with Luffy. He walked over to a table and sat down, staring at a plate of food. Haruka gulped and walked over.

"Hi." She said. "I'm Haruka." The boy smiled and stood up.

"I'm Luffy!" He exclaimed. "Monkey D. Luffy!" Haruka blushed. The two of them began talking, and eventually Haruka was sitting next to Luffy. "So you're headed to the Grand Line too?" Luffy asked.

"Yup!" Haruka exclaimed. "I've already got a financial assistant—" She turned and pointed to Mizu; Mizu waved. "—and a swordswoman, but she's keeping an eye on our stuff."

"She didn't want to come in?" Luffy asked. Haruka shrugged.

"She's… I dunno." She said. "She seems depressed lately…"

"Well, that's my crew over there." Luffy said, pointing to the orange haired girl, the boy with the long nose, and the green haired man. "That's _my_ swordsman, Roronoa Zoro." He said, pointing at the green haired man.

"Cool." Haruka said. Luffy gave her a large grin.

"Hey," He began, "we should get our crews together!" Luffy laughed. "We can go to the Grand Line together!"

Haruka laughed. "That sounds interesting!" She exclaimed. "But I don't think we'll be able to go all the way together." Luffy frowned.

"I know." He said. "But it'll be fun!" Haruka laughed.

"Yeah." She said. "And we might need all the help we can get…" She paused. "You'd understand if you saw our ship."

* * *

Luffy was called back to work a few minutes later, and Haruka returned to her table.

"So?" Mizu asked. "How was it?" Haruka was blushing.

"He's so cool!" She exclaimed. "He wants us to go to the Grand Line together!"

Mizu beamed. "That's great!"

Halfway through their meal, Mizu and Haruka heard glass shatter. A few people were screaming and running around.

"It's Don Krieg's Pirate ship!!" Someone screamed. Both Mizu and Haruka stood up to see what was going on.

Approaching Baratie was a huge, beat up looking ship. It had a ripped up pirate flag with two hourglasses.

"Who's that?" Haruka asked. Mizu gave her a weird look. Suddenly, the doors to the restaurant flew open and the man from a few days before walked in with a huge man limping next to him.

Mizu swallowed hard. Haruka quickly glanced out the window, looking for any sign of Yuka.

The man from days before—Gin—looked panicky. "Excuse us!" He exclaimed. "Could you give us some food and water?! The money is no problem!!"

The large man limping was thin and pale. He looked ready to pass out. And sure enough, the next moment, he was on the ground.

"Captain!" Gin exclaimed, rushing to Krieg's side. "Please! Give him some food!" He shouted. "Please! He'll die!"

No one did anything. Suddenly, the large man that had served Mizu and Haruka before started laughing.

"Impossible!" He exclaimed, "Is this really Don Krieg, the scariest pirate in East Blue?!"

"We have money!" Gin shouted. "So we're your customers!!" The large man turned to a chef.

"Go contact the marines." He said. "There won't be a chance like this again. I won't give him anything!"

A few people in the crowd started cheering. Haruka and Mizu stood quietly among them.

"If he regains his strength, he'll destroy the restaurant." A chef said. "We won't give him even a cup of water."

Suddenly, Don Krieg got on all fours. "If you give me something…" He forced out, "I'll leave peacefully, I promise." He was breathing heavy. "Please!" He suddenly bowed down. Gin panicked.

"Stop it Captain!" He exclaimed. "A great man like you shouldn't bow your head for something like this! Please, this is shameful!"

"Please…" Krieg continued. "Even a tiny piece of food… Anything…"

The large man raised an eyebrow. "Huh?" He said. "You think we'll feel sorry for you?"

Suddenly, Sanji came out of nowhere and aimed a kick at the large man. "Pati, out of the way!" He exclaimed, kicking the man across the room.

Sanji walked up to Gin and handed him a plate and a large bottle. "Give him this." He said. Everyone seemed to be in total shock.

Haruka and Mizu secretly sighed in relief.

"Sanji! Take the rice back!!" A chef called. "Don't you know who he is?! He's the trickiest pirate of East Blue! He's extremely strong! I don't think he'll _actually_ leave peacefully after he's finished! Just let that worthless man die! For the peace of this world!"

Suddenly, Sanji turned and was met by a huge arm. Don Krieg was back on his feet and slammed Sanji with his arm, sending him flying across the restaurant.

Suddenly, Baratie's side doors burst open and Yuka walked in. "What the HELL is going on?!" She exclaimed.

An instant after entering, Yuka was slammed into a wall by Sanji, who had slammed into her the moment the doors closed.

"Yuka!" Haruka exclaimed. Mizu started coughing again and sunk down to her knees. "M-mizu?!" She exclaimed.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Gin shouted. "I took you here because you promised not to hurt anyone!! Besides, he saved my life!!"

Krieg grabbed Gin's arm and squeezed it tight. "This feeling…" He hissed, "it's great!" He laughed. "This is a nice restaurant…" He smiled wickedly. "So I will take it."

Mizu finished coughing and as soon as she stood up, a hand grabbed her by the neck: Don Krieg.

"Mizu!" Haruka shouted. Before she could do anything, a loud roar erupted throughout the restaurant. A HUGE tiger came flying though the restaurant and quickly chomped down on Krieg's hand, and released it even quicker. Mizu fell to the ground and started coughing again, but with no blood.

Krieg yelled and grabbed his hand. "What the hell?!" He shouted. The tiger, which had gone crashing into a table, stood up weakly. Everyone around either gasped or screamed and went running to the walls, trying to get away from the attacking animal.

But instead of attacking, or even turning towards Krieg, the tiger just stood there. Mizu and Haruka just stared at it, like everyone else.

Then suddenly, a few drops of blood dripped off of the tiger's mouth. A few more people started screaming.

"It's tasted blood!" A woman screamed.

But the tiger just stood there, motionless. Finally, its legs began to shake and its breathing got faster. Then suddenly, it moaned loudly and changed. Its orange and black fur began turning into black clothes. Now more people were panicking.

Mizu's eyes widened. 'Kodaigo…!' She thought. Then she remembered what Reach had said the day earlier…

_Reach sighed. "I'm sorry about… taking off." He said, trying to change the subject. "It's just… blood—I…"_

"_Don't you pretty much eat blood when you eat… meat?" Mizu asked. Reach laughed quietly._

"_Ironic… isn't it?" He said, looking up at the sky._

He had a fear of blood! And now, it was all over his mouth. Mizu gulped and Haruka helped her to her feet.

Reach, in full human form now, was gasping and breathing heavily. He spotted a bottle of water out of the corner of his eye and lunged at it—much like a tiger would. He knocked the table over and poured the water in his mouth. Then, he quickly spit it back out—near Don Krieg.

Krieg, appalled, barred his teeth and squeezed his hands into fists.

Reach, wiping his mouth off, stood up weakly. He spit out some excess blood—with a dazed look in his eye—and pointed at Don Krieg.

"D…don't…" He forced out. "Don't you ever… put your hands… on her… AGAIN!!"

A woman from the crowd gasped loudly. "That animal that attacked was a man?!" A woman screamed.

"Hey!" Shouted a man, "That's Kodaigo Reach!!"

Reach paid no attention to them. He just stared at Don Krieg, his yellow-gold eye glistening. Then, suddenly, Reach quickly glanced over at Mizu. Don Krieg saw the opportunity as an opening and took it. He swiftly kicked Reach in the chest, sending him flying into a wall, barely missing a few people in the crowd.

"Kodaigo!" Mizu exclaimed. Krieg snorted.

"I have one hundred men on my ship!" He exclaimed. "They're injured and need food, now!" No one moved. "THIS IS AN ORDER!!" Krieg snapped. "Whoever refuses DIES!!"

Yuka, who had stood up earlier, snuck over to Haruka and Mizu, who had somehow gotten in the front of the crowd. Yuka had a cut on the side of her forehead and she had a black eye.

"Are you ok?" Haruka asked. Yuka gently tapped her eye and winced.

"I think…" she said. "That chef's elbow hit my eye… What the hell happened?!"

"That guy—" Haruka began, pointing at Krieg, "—barged in here, Sanji—" she pointed at the blond boy who was just now getting up, "—gave him some food, then Krieg smacked into him and sent him flying into you." She paused. "Oh yeah, and the tiger came in and got his ass kicked too."

Mizu looked for Reach among the debris and dust. She knew he was weak, so why would he come?

Sanji started heading for the kitchen. Pati screamed. "OI! SANJI!! This is your fault! Where are you going?!"

Sanji turned. "To the kitchen." He said. "I've gotta make food for a hundred people."

Suddenly, a loud cough came from one of the walls. Reach stood up and stumbled out of the dust. Sanji sighed.

"A hundred and one people." He corrected.

Reach smiled, his eyes closed.

"That's the best decision." Krieg said. A few chefs pulled out pistols and pointed them at Sanji.

"We won't let you in the kitchen!" One chef exclaimed. Sanji raised his hands in the air and smiled.

"What're you waiting for?" He said. "Go ahead and shoot." He sighed. "I know these people are bad, but it's none of my business. When I give people food, I don't want to think about the consequences that will occur." He paused. "For a chef, if there are people hungry, then he must cook for them!"

Suddenly, Pati jumped up and slammed Sanji in the back, knocking him out. "Tie him up!" Pati exclaimed.

Krieg was staring, narrow-eyed, at Reach, who still had his eyes closed. He looked like he was asleep. Krieg walked over and stood right in front of him. Reach's eye slowly opened; the first and last thing he saw in that instant was a giant fist flying towards his face. Reach barred his teeth, wide-eyed, and stepped back, but it was too late. Krieg's fist slammed into Reach's face and sent him flying back into the wall.

Suddenly, Pati appeared with a giant canon looking weapon.

"After the meal, why don't you have some dessert?!" He exclaimed. "Syrup Canon!!" A huge blast erupted from the canon and went flying straight at Krieg. Weakly, Reach was able to stand up, but as soon as he regained his eyesight, he found a giant canon ball hurling towards him.

'Damnit!' Reach thought, tripping and literally dropping back down onto the floor. He quickly jumped up, merely sidestepped—despite his condition—and fell back onto the floor.

"This must be a joke!" Krieg exclaimed. The blast hit Krieg directly. He went flying through the door and slammed into the railing.

"I broke the door?" Pati said. "Honor's gonna be so upset…"

Suddenly, laughter snapped everyone's attentions back to the door. Krieg was back on his feet. He had solid gold armor on and he was completely unscathed.

"You're dessert tastes terrible." He said. Reach growled and stood up again. Haruka noticed his legs shaking.

Krieg looked down at him and growled back. He was wearing solid gold armor.

"It's just armor!" Pati exclaimed. "Everyone get him!" Suddenly, a few gun looking flaps appeared out of Krieg's armor.

"LOOK OUT!" Haruka screamed. But it was too late; bullets shot out of Krieg's armor and hit the chefs directly. Mizu looked away as blood splattered the floor. From the other side of the room, Reach closed his eye shakily.

"Don't ever try to go against me, weaklings!" Krieg shouted. "I am the strongest man alive, remember that!" He took a deep breath. "I have five-thousand ships at my command! I ALWAYS win!! When I order you to cook, you COOK!! Whoever doesn't follow my order—!!"

"Krieg!" A voice shouted from outside the restaurant. Reach suddenly stiffened up, his teeth barred, eyes wide, and he was sweating. "Give it a rest…"

In walked a man in an open red jacket, and dark red pants. He had greenish-blue hair tied in a ponytail under a red helmet looking hat. Reach's breathing became fast and broken. He turned and came face to face with the red man.

"Hello Reach." The man said.

"Gikushaku…" Reach whispered, his voice panicky. The man—Gikushaku—smiled.

He walked up to Reach, shaking his head. "Honestly, _Reach_." He said, hissing Reach's name. "I thought you'd be able to do better than this."

Gikushaku looked out among the crowd. He spotted the small puddle of blood by Krieg and then spotted Mizu. He laughed.

"What's… so funny?" Reach hissed. Gikushaku turned to him, narrow-eyed.

"You're still unwilling to make sacrifices to get ahead, I see." He said. "You coulda just killed her and gotten out of here. But you had to stick around and _apologize_. Hah!"

Mizu barred her teeth together and squeezed her hands into fists. Her heart began racing. Whoever this guy was, Reach was beginning to show signs of panic. Like he was ready to snap.

"But seriously," Gikushaku began, turning his back on Reach and walking away. Reach just stood there.

'He looks like he's trying to hold himself back…" Yuka thought.

'Why don't you just attack?!' Mizu thought. Reach's whole body was shaking.

Gikushaku turned around and walked back hastily. Reach said nothing. Gikushaku frowned. "What's wrong, Reach?! You're not up to a good fight?!" Reach still said nothing; Gikushaku laughed and grabbed Reach's collar. "You're about as pathetic now as you were back then!"

"You know nothing about me." Reach said calmly. The man lifted Reach's collar to chin level.

"You know..." He whispered, "The _master_'s getting tired of waiting for you..." He smiled. Reach raised an eyebrow. "He's relocated, baka." Gikushaku continued. "He found a new facility to continue his... _research_."

Hearing this, Reach's eye widened and his muscles tensioned more. But still he remained silent.

Gikushaku laughed. "Of course, he can't find many new test subjects... so he's been settling with what he has on hand... _documents_ and crap like that..." He paused, smiling evilly. Reach was watching him with narrowed eyes.

"Why should _I_ care?" Reach said calmly. But there was a hint of anger in his voice. "I'm still going to kill him, research or not."

Gikushaku laughed. "Really?" He said, laughing. "Well, I hope you know he's tired of tracking you down. So he's been waiting for you... to come to him."

"And is that what you're doing here?" Reach asked. "Being his messenger boy?"

Gikushaku snorted. "Shut the hell up, you freak." He said. Reach's lip curled, revealing one of his fangs. "This was only a side job _he_'s making me do."

"And what are you really out here for?" Reach asked. Gikushaku ignored him.

"_He_ knew you wouldn't come quickly without a reason..." He continued.

"That's one thing that _asshole_ and I can agree on." Reach whispered. Gikushaku smiled.

"So he wanted me to tell you..." He smirked. "'_She_'ll only live if you come to me'."

Realization hit Reach like a ten-ton bus. His eyes widened and now both fangs were showing from behind his lips. Reach's eyes lit up with anger and shock.

Gikushaku, noticing this, laughed. "Better get to it!" He exclaimed, forcefully throwing Reach back and punched him in the face, sending him flying into a wall. "We can't keep this up forever!!"

**Coming Up in Future Chapters:**

**Reach is reunited with an old enemy! How will he get out of this one, especially when he and his opponent used to "get along"?**

**Mizu struggles with her heart… in more ways than one! When all hell brakes loose in Baratie, what will she do?**

**Haruka and Luffy fight together for the first time. But they seem to fight more than attack! Using heat on metal isn't the best strategy, and Luffy learns the hard way.**

**Yuka's heart is torn. On one hand, reveal herself and risk an epic fight. On the other hand, if she doesn't it could mean certain death for the man who's been tracking her down for years.**

**STAY TUNED AND REVIEW!!**


	11. Fight Gone Wrong Part 1

Normal

Attack name

_Flashback_

**Beast**

Chapter 10

_Baratie's Dining Room_

While all the commotion was going on, Zeff had dragged a huge sack to Krieg. He tossed it at the pirate and crossed his arms.

"Owner Zeff!" A chef shouted.

"You want food for a hundred people, right?" Zeff said. "Here."

Reach jumped up out of the debris. "THAT'S IT!!" He roared. "GIKUSHAKU!!"

Suddenly, Gikushaku appeared, sitting on a chandelier. He had his fingers intertwined and a twisted smile on his face.

"Yes?" He said slyly. Reach looked up at him and growled. He crouched down and suddenly, black stripes appeared on his hands and feet. "Come 'n get me." Gikushaku teased.

Reach roared and lunged at the chandelier. Gikushaku disappeared and Reach crashed into the chandelier, slamming it to the ground and shattering it completely.

Gikushaku appeared again, sitting at a table with a cup or wine in his hand. "Temper, Reach." He said.

Reach pounced at the table. Gikushaku disappeared again. Reach crashed into the table and skidded across the room—and into the crowd.

"GIKUSHAKU!!" Reach roared again. The crowd was screaming.

"He's going to kill us all!" A woman screamed.

Reach managed to stand up, his legs still shaky. The crowd was trying to rush out of Baratie, taking Yuka, Haruka, and Mizu with them.

"Wait!" Haruka shouted. "Guys!"

"Mizu! Haruka!" Yuka shouted, being almost carried in the opposite direction of her friends.

Mizu crouched down low and covered her head with her hands, hoping not to get trampled.

Haruka was sent flying out of the crowd when she accidentally burned someone. She tripped and slammed into someone.

"Hey!" It was Luffy. "Haruka?"

"Luffy!" Haruka exclaimed. "Am I glad to see you!"

"I'm going to get Zeff's journal, and sail back to the Grand Line!" Krieg roared. "Then I'm going to be King of the Pirates!!"

Luffy and Haruka were both taken aback. Then, they both stepped up.

"Hey!" They both exclaimed. Haruka and Luffy looked at each other for a second then turned their attention back on Krieg.

"I'm going to be King of the pirates, not you!" Luffy exclaimed.

"And I'm gonna be QUEEN of the pirates!" Haruka exclaimed. Luffy blinked at her. "So you can just get lost!!"

"You two are gonna get killed!" Pati shouted.

Haruka cracked her knuckles. "Sorry, but I can't now." She said. Luffy nodded.

"He's mine." He said. Haruka laughed.

"Why don't we tag team him?" She said. "I'll go first."

"No way!" Luffy exclaimed.

"You hear that?" A voice said. "They're gonna have all the fun, and we're just gonna sit here?"

Luffy turned towards a table. Zoro and Usopp were looking anxious to fight.

"Need some help?" Zoro asked.

"You're still here?" Luffy asked. "No, I don't need help."

"Yeah," Haruka chimed in, "'Cause he's got me."

Suddenly, Krieg started laughing. "Only a bunch of kids!! Aha!!"

"No." Luffy began, "I have five more."

"Don't include me!!" Sanji roared from behind him. Haruka thought for a minute. Then, she balled her hands into fists and punched Luffy in the head.

"Don't include my crew either!!" She yelled.

Suddenly, a roar snapped Krieg's attention to his left. Reach was soaring towards him, fangs flashing. Now his face had stripes on it.

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty." Gikushaku's voice rang from behind Krieg. Krieg was able to dodge, and as soon as he landed, Reach turned back around.

He was getting notably faster by the minute.

Suddenly, a chill ran up Haruka's spine. "Thaaaat's it Reach…" A voice hissed. "Come this way…"

Gikushaku.

Reach focused on Haruka and snarled. Mizu's eyes widened. She jumped up.

"Haruka! Move!" She shouted. "I don't think he can control it!!"

Haruka took her advice. At the last second, she ducked. Reach soared over her and landed awkwardly behind her. Haruka jumped away from Reach and fell backwards.

Meanwhile, Krieg had grabbed the sack Zeff had brought out and had fled the scene, promising to be back later. Now, Baratie had to deal with a powerful pirate, an ever-disappearing man, and a crazy, psycho animal.

Reach, still crouched down, kept scanning the crowd of chefs furiously. Every once in a while, he's close his eyes and shake his head, but after a minute, he stopped doing it.

"Come OUT HERE!!" Reach roared, his voice shaky.

Suddenly, the doors flew open and Yuka ran in. Reach turned to her frantically and lunged.

"YUKA!!" Haruka and Mizu screamed. "DUCK!!"

But it was too late. Reach crashed into Yuka and pinned her to the ground. Yuka screamed and flailed, but with no luck. Suddenly, she froze. In her attempt to get Reach off of her, she'd gotten a little blood from earlier on him. Both of them froze.

Reach's eyes widened, and suddenly, his pupils shrunk at least two sizes and changed color. The whites of his eyes were now yellow and his pupils were now white.

Suddenly, Reach let out an inhuman scream. It sounded like a combination of an animal and a human, of fear, anger, hate, and confusion.

And then, Reach changed. He completely transformed into his tiger form, except something was different. Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Yuka screamed again and thrashed, but again, in her attempt, something strange happened.

Yuka's forearm accidentally slipped into Reach's tiger mouth, and Reach froze. Yuka was expecting excruciating pain, but it never came.

Reach just stared at her, his expression a combination of fear, confusion, and surprise. Reach had hardly any grip on Yuka's arm—just enough to keep in his mouth.

"GET OFF OF HER!!" Sanji screamed, running at Reach. Mizu gasped.

"NO!" She screamed, tackling Sanji. They both went hurling towards the ground, Mizu on top of Sanji.

Reach suddenly let go of Yuka and slowly began backing up. He scanned the crowd frantically again, but not in anger this time, but in fear.

Yuka quickly jumped up. Zoro, from his table, also jumped up. 'Yuka?!' He thought. 'Wh-what the hell is she doing HERE?!'

Reach let out a low moan. His nose and ears suddenly perked up and he spun around, his expression filled with hate now. Everyone was nearly pressed against the wall.

And then, Reach let out a near human scream. He slammed his paws over his head in agony, his teeth barred.

Gikushaku appeared, walking through the main double doors. Reach's back was facing him. "Tsk, tsk." He said. "C'mon Reach, put up more of a fight."

Instead of attacking, Reach just screamed more. He turned back into his human form and gripped his head hard. He slammed his head against the floor suddenly and fell over.

Mizu watched in horror as some invisible force tortured the man she'd helped—the man who'd been so nice to her.

Gikushaku walked up to Reach and laughed. It was like he didn't even hear him. Gikushaku took a look around the room. No one was moving, or looked ready to help.

"Wow," Gikushaku said. "You really _are_ hated, aren'tcha?" He laughed evilly. He snapped his fingers and Reach stopped screaming. His body was still tense, but he was just lying on the floor, breathing heavily and moaning.

"Stop it!!" Haruka shouted, running at Gikushaku. He only put his hand up in front of him and Haruka stopped dead. She looked dazed, and suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

"Haruka!!" Luffy, Mizu, and Yuka shouted. Gikushaku took a step towards Haruka, but as soon as he did he stopped; Yuka had dove in front of him and gotten Haruka to safety.

"Wake up, baka!" Yuka shouted. Haruka was unconscious.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Gikushaku and spun him around. Reach was standing right behind him, breathing heavily.

"Giku…shaku…" He forced out. Gikushaku smiled and held his hand up, but as soon as he did, Reach turned into a tiger again at lightning speeds, and tackled him.

It was the only hit anyone had been able to get on this guy!

But before the two could even hit the ground, Gikushaku disappeared again. Reach hit the ground with a _thud._

"You know, Reach." Gikushaku's voice rang through the restaurant. "I'm… well quite frankly, I'm pissed." He paused, laughing. "It's only been a few years; have you forgotten what I'm capable of _that_ quickly?!"

Reach tried to stand, but as soon as he got his knees bent, he was slammed back down and coughed loudly. Reach growled, but cut himself off.

_Click…_

Reach froze. He started shaking more now, and he was definitely more than terrified—he was petrified.

He looked out of the corner of his eye and found himself looking down the barrel of a large shotgun. Holding the gun was Gikushaku, sitting on his back, pinning him down.

"Well, it's been fun, bud." He said. Reach didn't move. He didn't even try to move. "It'll all be over soon…" Mizu swallowed, jumped up, and screamed as Gikushaku pulled the trigger. "See ya…_ Reach_…"

* * *

_"PIRATES!!"_

"_RUUUUUN!!"_

"_GAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!"_

_A little five-year-old boy ran through the streets of a burning town. He was crying heavily, his body was beaten and bruised. All he was wearing was a pair of dirty black shorts._

_He would've blended in with the panicking crowd perfectly, except for the fact that large black stripes covered his small body, and that he was running on all fours. _

_The boy had blue-black hair that hung less than an inch below his ear. His yellow-gold eyes could be seen easily in the dark, considering they glowed._

"_Mommy!!" The boy screamed, skidding to a halt in front of a small building. It was on fire. A high-pitched scream filled the boy's ears as he just stared at the building in horror. The scream was familiar, and suddenly, it stopped._

_The boy screamed. "MOMMY!! WHERE ARE YOU?!!" He roared, literally._

_Suddenly, large, rough hands scooped the boy up, carrying him away from the building. In less tan a minute, it exploded._

_The boy thrashed in the man's hands. "Stop!" The man shouted. The boy was trying to get back towards the village. "You're to young to die!"_

_And suddenly, the voice became familiar. The boy looked up at him, but his face was faded._

_Suddenly, a gunshot rang out and the man stopped dead. He dropped the boy, who crawled away quickly. The man fell to his knees and collapsed, a pool of blood forming around him. A man with a HUGE pistol stood behind him, smiling wickedly._

_The boy screamed and ran. He ran up to a cliff and skidded to a halt. He stared down at the icy water below and gulped, whining in fear._

_The boy turned around and his eyes widened. A woman was running towards him quickly. The boy recognized her, but again, her face was faded._

_Suddenly, and explosion rang out, sending the woman flying towards the boy. The force of the explosion threw the boy backwards. He was hanging off of the cliff for dear life._

_The woman suddenly appeared on the cliff. The boy slid down a few feet. The woman extended her arm. She was crying almost as hard as the boy was._

"_Reach!!" She screamed. The boy extended his arm. "REACH!!"_

_But as soon as they touched, the boy heard another gunshot. He felt liquid on his face and his eyes widened. He was frozen in place._

_The woman on the cliff didn't move. Her eyes were wide and her body was becoming limp. She had a blank look on her face, and a large trickle of blood was running down her face and chin._

_The man holding the gun was the one from earlier. He was smiling evilly, like before._

_Suddenly, he spotted the boy and aimed his gun. Seconds before he could pull the trigger, the woman on the cliff hit him hard in the leg, sending his aim off. The bullet hit inches above the boy's hand, loosening the dirt, and sending him plummeting towards the sea._

_The last thing he heard were two more gunshots and another short scream…_

* * *

Reach screamed, his eyes shooting open. The girl from before, Mizu, was standing over him in a fighting stance with a HUGE sword in hand. Gikushaku was standing in the middle of the room, looking pissed.

--

_Rewind to five minutes earlier_

"Well, it's been fun, bud." Gikushaku said. Reach didn't move. He didn't even try to move. "It'll all be over soon…" Mizu swallowed, jumped up, and screamed as Gikushaku pulled the trigger. "See ya…_ Reach_…"

Mizu dove towards Reach, wrapping her arms around him. Her eyes suddenly turned deep blue and she and Reach disappeared.

Gikushaku shot up, scanning the room. The spot where Reach had been was now wet.

Suddenly, Gikushaku heard what sounded like a splash from behind him. He spun around.

Mizu was standing a few feet away with her huge sword in her hands. Reach was sprawled out on the ground behind her. They were both wet.

"Wh-what the hell did you do?!" Gikushaku shouted. Mizu snickered.

"I saved him from you, asshole." She hissed. "I turned us both into water."

"How's that possible?!" Haruka exclaimed. Yuka gulped.

"W-well," She whispered, "She's a m-mermaid a-after all…"

Suddenly, a strained groan from behind her alerted Mizu that Reach was waking up. Gikushaku noticed too.

"So, you're a Devil Fruit user as well, huh?" He hissed.

"You could say that." Mizu said, never taking her eyes off of Gikushaku. "Does that mean you're one too?"

Gikushaku laughed. "Duh…" He snapped. "Yume Yume no Mi(1)."

Mizu's eyes widened. 'That must be why Reach was screaming…' she thought. "So you were messing with Reach's head?!" Gikushaku nodded. "So you made him attack Yuka!!"

Gikushaku frowned. "Actually, he did that all on his own." He said. Mizu blinked.

"Wh-what…?!" She whispered.

Gikushaku sighed. "I think it would be in everyone's best interest if I just get rid of him now, while he's weak." He said. "He's a danger to everyone around him. He attacked your friend, he attacked _you_ before… he almost destroyed the restaurant—"

"Because you were provoking him!!" Mizu shouted. Gikushaku put his hands up.

"I admit," He began, "I was having a little fun. He had more control over himself years ago than he does now." He sighed. "I didn't expect him to be _that_ wild."

Mizu gulped. 'H-he's just messing with me!' She thought.

"And," Gikushaku continued, "I was even going to tell him where to find his beloved—"

"**DON'T**!!" An inhuman voice roared. Mizu spun around. Reach was on his feet, snarling. "DON'T… YOU **DARE**… **SAY—HER—NAME**!!"

**I dunno about you guys but I'm getting excited ^^**

**(1) Yume - dream  
**

**Coming Up in Future Chapters:**

**Reach loses it! With an extremely dangerous power threatening to destroy everyone, will he be able to take control of himself?**

**Mizu struggles with her heart… in more ways than one! Caught in the middle of Reach and Gikushaku's battle, will she come out alive?**

**Haruka and Luffy fight together for the first time. But they seem to fight more than attack! Using heat on metal isn't the best strategy, and Luffy learns the hard way.**

**Yuka's heart is torn. On one hand, reveal herself and risk an epic fight. On the other hand, if she doesn't it could mean certain death for the man who's been tracking her down for years.**

**STAY TUNED AND REVIEW!!**


	12. Fight Gone Wrong Part 2

**Hey guys. I'm kinda stuck with all of my writing so… T_T I might not update as often as I normally do until my writers' block goes away.**

**AH! I just realized I didn't give the meaning of Gikushaku's DF!! Well Yume means dream. Sorry!**

Normal

Attack name

_Flashback_

**Beast**

Chapter 11

Mizu half smiled. Reach was ok! But there was something… different about him. _Abnormally_ different. His hair was covering his face and his breathing was deeper. He also seemed… stronger, somehow.

Mizu relaxed her shoulders when he fully stood up.

"Reach—" Mizu began, but she cut herself off. Reach was snarling like an animal, and it was deeper and more violent sounding than anything from before. Mizu gulped. She turned back towards Gikushaku. He had taken a step backwards and had a sly grin on his face.

Mizu turned back around. Reach growled a little louder. Now she was getting freaked out. Why was he just standing there? Five minutes ago he was trying to rip the place apart!

But then suddenly, Reach's fists clenched and his muscles tightened. Mizu half smiled again and turned around, getting her sword ready.

"L-let's take this guy down, Reach." She said, trying to keep her cool. Hopefully, Reach would fight with her. Mizu probably couldn't take Gikushaku on her own, but with Reach's help, they could probably take him down.

Unfortunately, Reach… wasn't thinking on the same page as Mizu. He suddenly started laughing darkly, stumbling back once. His hand reached up to his face and covered his right eye. His muscles were tightening and relaxing furiously.

"**Grr…**" Reach growled. "**Giku…shaku… Hehe…**" His voice was inhuman. _Now_, Mizu was getting worried.

Gikushaku cracked his knuckles. "You might want to back away from him." He said. "I've done it now…"

Mizu had no idea what he was talking about. Reach had protected her since they met, since she helped him. Why would Gikushaku warn her to get away from him? He was the enemy after all!

But then, Reach roared. The ground broke under him and he looked up. His hand slid from his face and Mizu gasped; Gikushaku took another step back.

"I warned you." Gikushaku said. "He's lost it."

Reach's eye had changed yet again. It was glowing bright yellow. The whites of his eyes glowed, his pupils glowed… _everything_ glowed. Reach's face was chilling: his fangs had grown out a few inches, his teeth were clenched into an animalistic and twisted smile, and black stripes had begun creeping onto his face.

Suddenly, and without warning, Reach lunged at Mizu. She screamed, and something hit her hard from the side. Mizu coughed violently and blood trickled down the side of her mouth.

And then, she landed softly on the ground. She felt a tight embrace around her and looked up. Sanji, the cook, had jumped in and saved her just in time. "S-sanji!" Mizu exclaimed.

"Are you ok?!" Sanji exclaimed back. Mizu quickly wiped the blood away and nodded. "What's wrong with that guy?!"

Reach was standing in the spot Mizu had just been in. His skin had begun to turn orange—tiger orange—and stripes streaked his whole body. Reach was crouched down; his fingernails had grown at least six inches, maybe more, and they were digging into the floorboards.

"What the hell did you do?!" Haruka suddenly screamed at Gikushaku, lunging at him. Reach's head snapped in her direction and he suddenly disappeared. Before Haruka even managed to get close to Gikushaku, Reach appeared in mid air and roared again. Haruka screamed.

Suddenly, a fist collided with Reach's side and sent him flying. Then, the same fist grabbed Haruka around the waist and pulled her into the parted crowd. Luffy stood in a fighting stance, looking as serious as ever. He pulled Haruka to safety.

"Th-thanks!" Haruka exclaimed. Luffy nodded. Reach roared again. "What… what happened to him?!"

"This is his true power." Gikushaku said suddenly, catching everyone's attention. "Or at least… the power that was given to him."

"What?" Haruka hissed. "What do you mean, 'given to him'?!"

Gikushaku laughed. He opened his mouth to speak, but as soon as he did, Reach appeared in mid air above him. Reach roared; Gikushaku's eyes widened and spun around. But he was unable to escape; Reach slammed his six-inch 'claws' into Gikushaku's chest and the two of them hurtled through the wall and onto the docks. Gikushaku coughed up a lot of blood.

Reach grabbed Gikushaku by the neck and thrust him into the ground. He raised his fist over his shoulder and slammed it into Gikushaku's stomach. Gikushaku screamed in pain.

Haruka barred her teeth together. She ran at the hole in the wall and jumped down to the docks. Yuka and Mizu followed, swords drawn.

Reach—sensing the girls' presences—paused his onslaught of attacks and glanced up at them. Mizu raised her sword in front of her.

Suddenly, Reach's eyes flickered back to normal. His muscles relaxed and a dazed, confused, and somewhat scared look swept over his face. He immediately jumped away from Gikushaku and began nervously backing away. Gikushaku somehow stood up and spit out some blood.

Reach let out a nervous and broken growl. Gikushaku managed a laugh. "So… you… managed to snap… out of it… huh, Reach?" He hissed. Suddenly, Reach dropped onto all fours again, screaming and clutching his head. Gikushaku took a step back, not knowing what to expect.

* * *

_The black haired boy groaned weakly. Slowly, his eyes slid open and he coughed. Even though his eyes were opened, he could see nothing. Weakly, he tried to stand, but found himself being pulled back down._

_Suddenly, a loud 'whoosh!' swept by him, and a blinding light hit washed over him. The boy silently gasped, and reached up to rub his eyes, but found himself still hardly able to move his arms or legs!_

"_Well, I'll be damned." A gruff man's voice came, "You got yerself a nice catch. Where'd ya find 'im?"_

_Another male voice laughed. "Piece 'o wood! In the middle o' the ocean! Can you imagine?"_

_The boy's eyes finally adjusted to the light. The first things he saw were bars. Thick, cold, metal bars only inches from his face. He whimpered quietly, looked down at himself, and nearly screamed._

_His whole body was that of a tiger, and his arms and legs were chained to the ground._

_He was in a cage._

_The men suddenly noticed he was awake. "There 'e is!" The first man exclaimed. "Haha!"_

_The second man opened the cage and reached inside. He unlocked the chains from the boy's arms and legs and pulled him out by the scruff of his now tiger like neck._

"_Let go!!" The boy screamed, but all that came out was a high-pitched growl. The men laughed._

"_Aww…" The first man began, "I think you hurt 'im!" Both men roared with laughter. The boy growled and suddenly, both of the men gasped._

"_Wh-what the hell?!" The man holding him screamed. He swiftly threw the boy away from him and both men backed up. The boy looked down at himself again; he looked human again! Well, except for the black stripes on his arms, that is._

_The boy stared in terror at the two men, who stared back with equal fear. Then, the boy's eyes widened and he bolted, running out of a large brown door._

_The door slammed open and the boy tripped down the steps. Without even skipping a beat, he jumped up—ignoring the sudden pain in his head—and kept running. But suddenly, he skidded to a halt, eyes wide and mouth hanging open._

_All around him, animals were in large cages, and there were men signing papers and talking angrily to each other by nearly every one._

_Suddenly, something slammed into him from behind, knocking the wind out of him, and slammed him onto the ground. The boy screamed and struggled, but with no luck. One of the men from before had tackled him, pinning him to the ground. The man roughly lifted the boy, using one hand to hold both arms._

"_What the hell is this thing?!" The man shouted. A few men around suddenly turned their attentions to him. One man walked over with a sly grin on his face._

"_I believe this," He began, "is a boy." The man holding the boy growled._

"_I know what a boy is!" He shouted. "But you didn't see what it did in there!!" He pointed to the room the boy had bolted out of._

_The new man examined the stripes on the boy's arms. "I recognize this." He said, laughing. "This boy has eaten a Devil Fruit." _

_The man holding the boy looked at him strangely. "A Devil Fruit?" The other man nodded. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather wallet._

"_How much for him?" He asked. The man holding the boy blinked._

"_How… much?!" He exclaimed. The other man nodded. "…W-well, we were going to put him up on auction for two million belli…"_

"_Done." The man said. He pulled out the money and handed it to the man holding the boy. He dropped the boy and took the money._

_The boy gulped. Quickly thinking, he tried to take off. But suddenly, something hit him hard on the back of the head, and he slammed into the cold, hard ground._

"_Oh yes," He heard from the man who had 'bought' him, "He's perfect…"_

_And that's the last thing he heard…

* * *

_

Reach's eyes snapped open. He weakly glanced up and his arms and legs gave out; he collapsed on the wooden dock.

Gikushaku coughed out more blood. "This… isn't over, Kodaigo!!" He roared menacingly. "I… _will_ get rid of you… one day! Mark my words!!"

Mizu lunged at him, her sword raised and aimed. But suddenly, Gikushaku disappeared. Mizu gasped; her sword slammed into the dock and stopped her immediately.

"Wh-where'd he go?!" Mizu exclaimed, looking around wildly. She gazed in Reach's direction; he was gone again! "Where's Reach?!"

Suddenly, a huge crash sounded from Baratie. Mizu turned around quickly. Haruka and Yuka had gone running back into the restaurant. Now she was completely alone.

Mizu grabbed her sword and started running, but suddenly, she skidded to a halt. She seemed to perk up and she turned around. A small sailboat was floating towards the dock.

Mizu glanced from Baratie to the sail boat, and began slowly walking to the boat, as if in a trance…

**Ok so it was a shortie ^^' sorry!**

**Coming Up in Future Chapters:**

**+ Reach is gone! Attacking Mizu, nearly losing his mind, and almost killing Gikushaku aren't the only things he has to come to terms with, especially now that his past has begun to catch up with him. What kind of life did Reach live that made him this way?**

**+ Mizu disappears! As the rest of the gang fight off the impending attack by Don Krieg and his crew, Mizu's disappearance sparks new complications.**

**Haruka and Luffy fight together for the first time. But they seem to fight more than attack! Using heat on metal isn't the best strategy, and Luffy learns the hard way.**

**Yuka's heart is torn. On one hand, reveal herself and risk an epic fight. On the other hand, if she doesn't it could mean certain death for the man who's been tracking her down for years.**

**STAY TUNED AND REVIEW!!**


	13. Zoro vs Mihawk: Yuka's Split Decision

**Alas! My writers' block has ended!! (I hope ^^;) maybe not the next few chapters, but the next few chapters after that will answer some questions you may or may not have :D make sense? No? …sorry for the wait XD**

Normal

**Beast**

_Flashback_

Attack name

Chapter 12

Yuka and Haruka had heard the huge crash from outside. They looked at each other in shock and raced towards Baratie.

Halfway there, Haruka turned around. "Where's Mizu?!" She exclaimed. Yuka barred her teeth together.

"Probably taking care of that Kodaigo guy." She said, stopping. "Maybe it's best if she doesn't get involved in this."

"Huh?" Haruka questioned. Yuka shook her head.

"C'mon!" she shouted. Yuka ran up to the double doors and before she even got a chance to reach for it, Haruka kicked the door wide open.

"What's going on?!" She shouted. Yuka ran inside after her.

"They're coming!" A chef shouted as the girls ran in. A few other chefs had weapons in their hands and they were all facing the front door. "I hear voices."

"We have to protect the restaurant!" Another chef shouted. Yuka's eyes narrowed. She tapped Haruka on the shoulder.

"I'll be right back." She said. Haruka nodded; Yuka gulped and took off out the other side door.

Suddenly, wild and excited screams began pouring in from outside. Haruka jumped into the crowd of chefs—which also included Luffy—and cracked her knuckles.

"Let's do this!" She exclaimed. Luffy nodded. The front doors burst open suddenly, and the shouting became louder. They were close.

But suddenly, out of nowhere, the screams of excitement stopped, and were replaced with screams of fear and panic. From out of the front door, everyone inside could see Don Krieg's pirate ship. At one moment, it was standing as beaten up and tall as ever, but in the next instant, it had been demolished.

A HUGE explosion of wood and dust flew throughout the area. Don Krieg's ship was seemingly sliced to pieces like butter. All of the chefs and pirates stood, lost. Most, if not all of Krieg's pirates, were screaming in confusion.

Haruka gasped and took a step back. Then, she realized something: their ship was docked near the front!

From near Don Krieg's ship, Yuka had hopped onto her and Haruka's sailboat to get her swords. But by the time she did, Krieg's ship was being sliced to pieces, and Yuka was caught in the middle of it.

The force with which the ship was 'cut' was tremendous! The water around Yuka created huge waves, sending the tiny sailboat in all directions. Yuka screamed and grabbed onto the sides frantically.

"What the hell?!" She screamed. Slowly, the waves began dying down. Yuka looked up. By now, what was Don Krieg's pirate ship was now a junkyard of wood and metal. Most of Don Krieg's pirates were also in the water.

Yuka stood up nervously. She just stared at the debris. Then, pulling herself together, she grabbed her swords and dove for the restaurant.

* * *

Everyone in Baratie raced outside. Panic was on everyone's faces. Haruka raced over to a railing and looked around frantically.

"MIZUUU!!" She called. "Where is she?!!" Suddenly, a hand appeared on her shoulder. Haruka spun around. It was Yuka. She was panting and had her hands on her knees. "Y-yuka! You're ok!!"

Yuka looked up. "Y-yeah…" she said. "Mizu wasn't down there." Yuka straightened up. "We woulda seen her by now…"

Suddenly, one of Krieg's pirates screamed louder. "Captain!!" He screamed. "It's that man!!" Krieg's eyes widened. "The man that destroyed all of our ships in the Grand Line!!"

"No…" Krieg whispered. Floating up to Baratie was a tiny ship. On it, there was a coffin shaped chair and a small mast. Sitting in the chair was a man with black hair and a HUGE sword strapped to his back.

"Th-that guy took out fifty ships?" Pati exclaimed. "By himself?"

"So he's the one who cut Krieg's ship to pieces…" A chef said.

Yuka gulped. She recognized the man. Eyes wide, Yuka began breathing heavily.

"He looks like an ordinary guy…" Haruka said. "How could he…?"

"Take a look at the sword." Chef Zeff said. Haruka's eyes widened.

"You mean he used only that?!" She exclaimed. "How?!"

"Because," Zeff began, "He is the 'Hawk Eyes'. The greatest swordsman in the world."

Hearing this, Yuka's heart nearly skipped a beat. While everyone was distracted, she began backing away. But suddenly, she slammed into someone and her eyes widened more, if possible.

Yuka spun around and gasped loudly. The person she slammed into gasped too. It was _him_.

Roronoa Zoro's eyes were already wide, but now, his teeth were barred tightly. "Oh my…!!" He exclaimed. "Yu…?!!"

"Zo…?!!" Yuka exclaimed back. She gulped hard and jumped over the railing, landing swiftly on the deck below.

Zoro ran to the railing and peered over. "Yuka…?!!" He exclaimed. He looked up and stared at 'Hawk Eyes'. Now was not the time to be worried about _her_.

"What do you want with us?!" A pirate screamed. He was on a large piece of wood near 'Hawk Eyes'. "Why do you follow us?!"

'Hawk Eyes' glanced at him. "For fun." He said simply. The pirate growled.

"For… FUN?!" He screamed. He whipped out two pistols and fired them at the swordsman. 'Hawk Eyes' quickly pulled his sword out and merely pointed it at the man. The bullets completely missed him; the sword had deflected them!

"They missed?!" Haruka shouted. "Whoa!!"

"It doesn't matter how many times you shoot." A voice said from behind the pirate that had attempted to shoot, "He'll keep deflecting them. He used his sword to change the course of the bullets." It was Zoro. 'Hawk Eyes' sheathed his sword.

"Who are you?!" The pirate shouted. Zoro ignored him completely.

"I've never seen such fine swordsmanship." He said. "Such gentle skill."

"If a sword doesn't have gentleness, then it isn't strong." 'Hawk Eyes' said.

"You used that sword to cut this ship?" Zoro asked.

"Yes." 'Hawk Eyes' said. Zoro snickered.

"I see…" He said. "Then… you must be 'Hawk Eyes' Mihawk… the Greatest Swordsman in the world."

Mihawk's eyes narrowed. "What do you want from me?" He asked.

Zoro tied his bandana over his head. "To be the greatest." He stated. "You're free, right? Why don't you fight me?"

From under the deck, Yuka fell backwards, hands slapped over her mouth and eyes wide. 'He… he didn't!!' She screamed in her mind. 'Zoro…!!'

Mihawk snickered. "I feel sorry for you," He said, "weakling." He jumped onto the most solid piece of wood and faced Zoro. "Even the strongest swordsmen won't fight me because they can estimate their power and compare it to me. You're strong will that wants to challenge me either comes from your brave heart… or your foolishness."

Zoro put his white sword into his mouth. "It's my dream." He said, "and a promise to some friends."

Yuka grabbed her head. "Don't do this!" She whispered loudly. "Baka!"

Zoro unsheathed his other two swords. "I never thought that I'd find you so soon."

"That doesn't make you any better." Mihawk said.

From the deck, Luffy stood quietly. Pati's hands were rested on the railing. "The greatest swordsman and the pirate hunter?" He said.

Suddenly, Mihawk reached for a chain around his neck and pulled out a small cross. He took the tip off; it turned out to be a small blade.

"What are you doing?" Zoro questioned.

"I am not a stupid person to use all of what I have to hunt a rabbit." Mihawk said. "I know that there are many people in this world who want to become famous. This place, East Blue, the weakest of all that are separated by the Grand Line and Red Line…" he laughed softly. "Unfortunately, I don't carry a knife smaller than this one."

Zoro growled. "Watch your words…" He hissed. "Otherwise… you'll regret it when you DIE!!" Zoro suddenly lunged at Mihawk.

"You," Mihawk began, "You are just a person who has never seen the real world."

Zoro kept running. He crossed his swords. "Oni… GIRI!!" He shouted, slicing his swords out in front of him. But suddenly, they were stopped. Mihawk held his tiny blade in the center of Zoro's swords, as if there was no force behind it.

Zoro's eyes widened. From under the deck, Yuka gasped again. "H-he's going to die…!!" She exclaimed to herself. Then, she turned away. "Wh-what do I care? He's been hunting me do…" She stopped herself and turned back. "Zoro…!!"

Suddenly, Zoro screamed and began madly slashing his swords at Mihawk. Amazingly, the man was deflecting all of Zoro's attacks using only the tiny knife.

"What crazy skill you've got." Mihawk remarked. "What is your duty? And what do you want from being the greatest? You weakling."

Zoro growled and jumped back. He held his swords beside him. "Tora… GARI!!" He screamed, lunging. But Mihawk was too quick. In an instant, he lunged forward as well, and drove his knife into Zoro's chest.

Yuka screamed. She _actually_ screamed. Zoro's legs began shaking.

"Do you want me to drive this through your heart?" Mihawk asked. "Why aren't you stepping back?"

"I… I don't know…" Zoro mumbled. "If I take a single step back… I'd feel I had broken my promise, and I will not be able to stand here again."

"Right," Mihawk said, "and that is called 'losing'."

Zoro laughed. "That's why I can't step back."

"Even if it means you will lose your life?" Mihawk questioned.

Zoro snickered. "If I have to lose, I'd rather die."

Yuka was breathing heavier now. She was shaking. "Why…?" She whispered. "Why, you idiot?!" she held her head in her hands. "You still care about that stupid promise?!"

Slowly, she made it to her feet and leaned against a support beam. "Why do you still care?!" Yuka closed her eyes tight. "Why do _I _care?! Why am I like this?! What do I care if he…"

Yuka cut herself off, looking back at Zoro. He held his swords out in front of him like a windmill. "My name is Roronoa Zoro." He said.

"I'll remember that." Mihawk said. "I haven't met someone with such a strong will like you for a long time." He reached behind his back and pulled out his HUGE black sword. "And to repay that, I will use the 'Black Sword', the strongest sword in the world, to end your life."

Zoro braced himself and began spinning his swords. Mihawk lunged at him suddenly. Yuka bit her lip nervously.

"Santoryuu!" Zoro exclaimed, lunging at Mihawk. "San-Zen-Sekai!!"

Zoro and Mihawk's swords clashed for only a moment. Then, the swords in Zoro's hands cracked and crumbled. They fell to the ground in pieces. Zoro's chest was cut up and bleeding heavily. He just stood there.

Then, to everyone's shock, Zoro sheathed his white sword and turned to face Mihawk, airs raised by his side.

"What are you doing?" Mihawk asked. Yuka felt like she was going to throw up.

"It's shameful," Zoro began, blood dripping from his mouth and nose, "for a swordsman to be hit from behind."

Mihawk smiled. "Splendid." He said. And in one swift movement, he slashed his 'Black Sword' down Zoro's chest, slicing it wide open.

"ZOROOOO!!!" Luffy screamed from above Yuka. She felt like she couldn't breath. Blood splattered everywhere.

Yuka could no longer hear anything around her. The wind whipped silently through her hair, and she just stood, completely still.

Zoro slowly fell backwards, losing grip of his sword. He, along with it, fell into the ocean. Yuka suddenly felt an uncontrollable rage build up inside her.

"ZOROOOOOOOOOOOO!!" She screamed. Grabbing her swords quickly, she ran at Mihawk, unsheathing her swords as she ran. "Auragh!!" She screamed.

But then, Mihawk glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Yuka noticed and froze, eyes wide. She was less than fifteen feet away from him. Mihawk turned around and Yuka took a step back.

Mihawk raised an eyebrow. "Was he… a friend of yours?" He asked. Yuka didn't move. "Obviously you knew him somehow, seeing as how you attempted to attack me." He paused, sheathing his sword. "But I'm curious, why do you hesitate?"

Yuka gulped. "B…ecause…" She mumbled nervously. "I'm not a fool; I know my limitations!"

Suddenly, a hand appeared on a rail near the two sword users. "DAMN YOU!!" Luffy screamed. His arm had stretched, and he was soaring towards Mihawk.

"Are you his friend as well?" Mihawk questioned, side stepping. Luffy crashed into the deck. "Do you want to fight too?"

Luffy stood up and growled.

"Don't worry." Mihawk said. "That kid is still alive."

In the distance, two of Zoro's friends ad jumped into the water to save him. They pulled Zoro onto a sailboat and he coughed up blood.

"Zoro!" Luffy and Yuka exclauimed.

Mihawk's eyes narrowed. "I am Dracule Mihawk." He said. "It is too soon for you to die. You have to learn about the world, and discover your true self." He paused. "You have to become stronger, Roronoa Zoro! No matter how long it will take, I will always be the Greatest Swordsman in the world, and will be waiting for you! Dare to challenge me again, Roronoa Zoro!!"

Yuka sunk to her knees. Slowly, she sheathed her swords.

"What is your goal, kid?" Mihawk asked Luffy.

"To become the King of the Pirates." He said.

Mihawk laughed softly. "What a stupid dream." He said. "It means you have to become stronger than me, you know?"

Luffy stuck out his tongue. "I don't care. I'll become the King, and you'll see that!"

Mihawk smiled and turned to Yuka. "And what is your dream, girl?"

Yuka blinked nervously. She pulled herself together as best she could and stood up. "I… I have no dream." She stated. Mihawk raised an eyebrow. "I mean… I gave up on my dream a long time ago…" She looked down sadly. "When I realized it was a pointless ambition that only a fool would try to accomplish."

Mihawk's eyes narrowed. "And what was it?"

Yuka closed her eyes tightly and balled her hands into fists. "To be the Greatest Swordswoman in the world."

Suddenly, from the sailboat, Zoro's white sword rose into the air, unsheathed. "Lu…luffy?" Zoro choked out, "can you hear me?"

"Yeah…" Luffy called.

"…I…" Zoro began, "I'm sorry for making you worry about me…" He was breathing heavily, in obvious pain. "If I… can't become an invincible swordsman, you will be worried about me, right?" Suddenly, Zoro coughed violently, splattering blood everywhere.

"Zoro…" Yuka whispered.

"From now on…" Zoro began, "I WILL NEVER LOSE TO ANYONE EVER AGAIN!!" Zoro's hand was on his forehead and he was crying heavily. Yuka's eyes began to water as well, but she quickly wiped her eyes. "Until I can defeat that man and become the greatest, I won't lose again!! Any problems with that… King of the Pirates?!!"

Luffy chuckled. "Nope." He said.

"You are a very good team." Mihawk said. "I hope," Yuak threw her shoes off and dove into the water, "that I will see you again."

Yuka swam to the sailboat and hopped aboard. "How is he?" she asked. Zoro's two friends, Johnny and Yosaku, and Usopp just stared at her. "Bakas, how is he?!"

Zoro opened one closed eye slowly. Seeing Yuka, he closed his eye again, and lost consciousness.

**So how was it? Not bad for… a while or writer's block, ne?**

**Coming Up in Future Chapters:**

**Reach is gone! Attacking Mizu, nearly losing his mind, and almost killing Gikushaku aren't the only things he has to come to terms with, especially now that his past has begun to catch up with him. What kind of life did Reach live that made him this way?**

**Mizu disappears! As the rest of the gang fight off the impending attack by Don Krieg and his crew, Mizu's disappearance sparks new complications.**

**Haruka and Luffy fight together for the first time. But they seem to fight more than attack! Using heat on metal isn't the best strategy, and Luffy learns the hard way.**

**+ After witnessing the man who has 'tracked her down for years' nearly die, what feelings does Yuka really have for him? Hatred and fear? Or does she still remember some things she felt about him from years past?**

**STAY TUNED AND REVIEW!!**


	14. Krieg's Pirates vs Baratie

**I think I'm stuck… T-T with ALL of my stories… I dunno, hopefully I'll get some inspiration while writing this :D**

Normal

Attack name

_Flashback_

**Beast**

Chapter 13

Haruka gazed out over the balcony in awe of what she had just seen. She gulped. Beating them wasn't going to be easy.

Don Krieg had just attacked Mihawk, and—destroying the rest of Krieg's ship, Mihawk disappeared.

Luffy spotted the rowboat that Zoro, Yuka, and the others were in. "Guys! Get outta here!!" He shouted. "See if you can find Nami!!"

"Roger!" Usopp called back. "After we get five crewmembers, we'll head to the Grand Line!!"

"OK!!" Luffy exclaimed. "Just hurry!!" Yuka's head shot up and in Luffy's direction.

"What?!" She exclaimed. But it was too late; Johnny and Yosaku had already started rowing. "Hey—!"

"YUKA!!" Haruka shouted, cutting her swordswoman off. Yuka blinked. "Go with them!! We'll catch up later!!"

Yuka just stared at Haruka for a moment. Then, sighing, she nodded. "Ok…" She said.

Haruka smiled. Luffy hung over the railing in between her and Sanji.

"Here they come." Sanji said. Haruka nodded. Luffy looked up at Chef Zeff.

"Hey, old man?" He began, "If I chase them away, do I have to work here anymore?"

Zeff laughed. "Do whatever you want." He said. Luffy smiled. From a large piece of Don Krieg's broken ship, Krieg stood with eight or so of his men. Suddenly, his men all pulled out weapons of all kinds.

Luffy beamed. "Wow!!" He exclaimed. "Here they come! This is so exciting!!" He turned back to Zeff. "Hey, so is that a deal?"

"It's a very good deal." Zeff said. "'Cause if you stayed here for a year, you'd destroy the place."

"Give us the ship!!" One of Krieg's pirates exclaimed. Luffy flipped onto the balcony and grabbed the railing.

"Gomu gomu no…" He began. Haruka blinked in surprise and suddenly lunged at Luffy. "ROCKET…!!" Haruka wrapped her arms around Luffy's waist at the last minute. "Wh-what're you—?!" But it was too late; Haruka and Luffy went flying.

Haruka screamed. "HOW DO YOU DO THIS?!"

"I ALREADY SAID IT!!" Luffy shouted. "I ATE A DEVIL FRUIT!!" Haruka held on tight.

"I meant the FLYING part!!" She screamed. Luffy groaned. He spotted the pirates close by.

"Just hold on!" He exclaimed. "Gomu gomu no… Scythe!!" Luffy's arms extended to his side, stretching, and slammed the eight men into the water. Then, he quickly grabbed onto a pole, panting. "You're heavy…" He said.

Haruka growled and punched him on the head. "Shut up!"

Don Krieg, standing in front of the two of them, laughed. "Isn't this nice?" He said.

"I'm gonna kick your ass!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Haruka chimed in. Krieg laughed harder.

"You're gonna kick my ass in a place you can't even stand on?" He laughed.

Suddenly, Pati and Kalune—another chef—'s voices boomed through the area. Baratie began shifting, and a large door opened up in the water. "HERE WE COME!!" The two chefs shouted.

Luffy spun his head around and beamed. "WOW~! COOL!!" He exclaimed. Out came a large fish-paddle boat with cannons coming out of its mouth. The paddleboat sped up to Krieg and his panicking pirates.

"GET READY TO FIRE!!" Pati shouted. Suddenly, Baratie began shaking. From under the water, a HUGE wooden platform began arising—a porch.

"A porch?!" A pirate shouted. "From under the restaurant?!"

Again, Luffy beamed, and this time, Haruka joined him. "AWESOME~!!" They shouted.

Don Krieg laughed. "I see…" He said, "You don't want us to fight in the restaurant because you're afraid it'll destroy the place." He laughed. "That's good, 'cause when we get that ship, it will be in perfect condition. That ship is worth more than I thought!"

"Don't underestimate us!" A few chefs exclaimed, pulling out their weapons.

"Show them the true power of chefs!!" Pati exclaimed.

Kalune elbowed him. "Don't pay attention to them! Let's take care of Krieg now!"

Pati pressed a button and the cannons took aim. "DIE DON KRIEG!!" They screamed. A cannon ball erupted from out of the cannon and headed straight for Krieg, Luffy, and Haruka.

Haruka screamed. "W-W-WAIT A MINUTE!!" She screamed. "I'M NOT INDESTRUCTABLE!!"

Luckily, the cannon ball missed Luffy and Haruka; a huge cloud of smoke blew up around Krieg.

Haruka beamed. "D-did they get him?!" she exclaimed.

Pati and Kalune laughed. Suddenly, the rowboat stopped; Pati and Kalune couldn't move the paddles. "Eh?" Kalune said, "Why's the ship not moving?"

Haruka's eyes widened and she gasped. "Whoa…!" She exclaimed. Krieg was standing next to the cannon, holding the ship back.

"I am Don Krieg." He said, "The next Pirate King…"

"That has to be me!" Luffy whispered. Haruka growled.

"Me!" She exclaimed.

Krieg continued. "I don't have time to PLAY WITH YOU!!" He screamed, lifting the boat completely out of the water. Pati and Kalune screamed. Don Krieg chucked the little ship straight at Baratie.

Sanji took his cigarette out of his mouth. "Both of them are only good at being brave and boasting…" He said. Then suddenly, he leapt into the air and kicked the paddle boat out of harms way.

"He kicks!" Krieg exclaimed. Sanji smirked.

"Wow…" Haruka exclaimed, tightening her hold on Luffy's shirt. The paddleboat slammed into the porch. Pati and Kalune came bursting out of the rubble.

"YOU WANNA KILL US?!" They shouted.

"Yes." Sanji said plainly.

"Stop pissing me off!!" Pati shouted. Krieg's pirates advanced, almost easily beating Baratie's chefs. Pati growled. "Are you giving up?!" He exclaimed. He grabbed a HUGE fork looking weapon, and Kalune grabbed a knife. Together, they slashed down the pirates.

"What the hell are they?!" A pirate shouted before getting slashed with Kalune's knife.

"This is the true power of a chef!!" He exclaimed. Suddenly, something HUGE climbed onto the porch. It was a man in pearl-looking armor.

"What're you doing?" He asked.

Pati and Kalune looked at each other. "H-huh?" The muttered. "Who's that?"

Suddenly, Pati and Kalune were slammed into the deck. The man in armor laughed. "Haha! What a weaklings!!"

One of Krieg's pirates spotted the man and gasped. "Pearl-san!" He exclaimed.

"Oi!" A chef exclaimed. "Kalune! Pati! Are you two still alive?!"

Pearl laughed. "Even if they still are alive, they are in serious condition, due to my killer punch!" He held up two huge gauntlets on his arms, one of which dripped blood.

A pirate ran over to Pati and went though his pocket. "Nice knife!" He exclaimed. "I'll take it! It's better than my sword." As soon as the man grabbed the knife, a hand grabbed his wrist. "Hey! Let go!" He exclaimed. Pati had grabbed the knife back. "Let go of the knife! You won't have any chance to use it anyway!!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Sanji appeared and slammed his foot into the pirate's face, sending him flying into two other pirates, and into Pearl, who didn't flinch.

The pirates who slammed into Pearl seemed different when they fell… Almost burnt.

Sanji held the knife in front of him. "A knife is a chef's soul. "No worthless person is allowed to touch it!!"

Pati groaned weakly. "S-sanji…" He managed to say.

"Here." Sanji said, handing him the knife. "Take care of this. I'll handle the pirates."

"You'll handle us?" A pirate exclaimed, rushing at Sanji. "Don't make me laugh! We'll finish you like we did with that stupid chef!!"

Suddenly, Sanji disappeared. In an instant, he reappeared, spinning on his hands and slamming his foot into six pirates faces, including the one who just spoke.

"_Stupid chef_?" He hissed. "I don't think you know what the word 'die' means."

One of the pirates went flying towards the restaurant. He burst through the swinging doors. There was a crash, a scream, and then a small moment of silence.

"Who was in the restaurant?" A chef questioned.

"Everyone got out earlier!" Another chimed in.

Suddenly, the double doors burst open as the pirate that had flown through them came flying back out. The pirate had a few gashes on his arms, and a small gash on his forehead. All eyes were on him.

But suddenly, a low growl averted everyone's attention back to the door. Sanji's eyes widened. "You…"

Standing in the doorway, beef bone in hand, was none other than… "What the hell's goin' on out here?" Kodaigo Reach.

He looked better than he did earlier, possibly because he was eating—and how much, God only knows—but he still had the scratches from earlier, and the bruise on his neck was as dark as ever. He swallowed painfully and cracked his knuckles. He no longer had the demonic, animalistic look in his eyes. They were golden—his pupils still slits—and tired. His hair still covered his left eye, and his fangs still peeked out from under his lips.

There was no sign of anything he did earlier happening again… yet. Reach just stood in place, blinking at the chefs, pirates, and then down at himself.

"Did I miss something?" He asked. He even sounded tired. His raspy voice was low and almost dazed.

"Who're you?" Pearl asked. Reach looked up at him, his expression blank.

"Kodaigo Reach." He said plainly. He glanced over at Sanji. "Cook-san," He began, "Is there any more meat… Or any kind of food?"

Pearl scoffed. "Enough talking!" He exclaimed. Reach glanced from Sanji to Pearl.

"Oh… you two were fighting?" He asked.

Sanji growled and faced Pearl. He was getting angrier and angrier. This guy had probably eaten everything in the kitchen, and he was so oblivious to the fighting?!

"Never mind you." Sanji snapped. His gaze was fixed on Pearl. "I'll defeat you with my kick!"

Pearl laughed. "Stop dreaming." He said. "I've been through sixty-one fights, and all of my enemies are dead. I always win without any wound, so people call me the 'Iron War'. You take care of your hands, but I take care of my whole body!"

Suddenly, a soft _thunk_ from behind Sanji caught his attention. Reach had sat down on the ground, Indian style.

"Tch," Sanji muttered.

"Since my first fight," Pearl continued, "I've never lost a blood. Not even a drop." He put his gauntlets together. "And that means I'm a VERY strong person. I am Pearl! The Iron Wall of Don Krieg's Pirates!" He beamed. "Even my facial skin is so clear!" He laughed. "I love myself!"

From the pole out in the rubble, Luffy and Haruka sweatdropped. "What's wrong with him?" Luffy said.

"Oi," Haruka began, "Why are we just sitting here?"

Suddenly, Kreig swung something over his head. "Hey kids!" He exclaimed. "If you don't pay attention to others, you'll get hurt!!" Krieg swung a huge spiked ball-on-chain at the pole, breaking it apart.

Haruka screamed. "DO SOMETHING!!" She exclaimed. Krieg swung the ball around again and sent it flying into Luffy. "AAH!!"

From back on Baratie, Sanji kicked Pearl's gauntlets hard. It had no affect whatsoever. "No matter what you do to me—"

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream sounded, becoming louder and louder by the second. In an instant, Luffy and Haruka slammed into the back of Pearl's head, slamming it into his gauntlet.

"Wow, that was really scary." Luffy said, brushing himself off. "We coulda fell into the sea!"

Haruka punched him again. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

There was an awkward silence. Luffy and Haruka glanced over at Pearl. Then, Haruka noticed Reach leaning against the wall. He's dozed off.

Pearl stood, terrified, with his hand in front of his face. A drop of blood rolled down his face.

Krieg's Pirates also began to panic. "Is he bleeding?!" One exclaimed.

"W-we're in trouble now!!" Shouted another.

"Damn…" Krieg muttered.

Pearl sank down on one knee. "Bl…ood…" He mumbled.

"It's alright Pearl-san!!" A pirate exclaimed. "It's just a little nosebleed! Not from the fight!"

"Please calm down, Pearl-san!" Another exclaimed.

"What's wrong with them?" A chef muttered.

Pearl began to sweat rapidly. "They've broken my Iron Wall…" He exclaimed. "They're dangerous!!"

"What's wrong with him?" Sanji asked. "He's acting weird…"

"His nose is just bleeding…" Luffy said. Haruka gulped.

Suddenly, Pearl began beating his gauntlets together. "I'M IN DANGER!!" He wailed, "I'M IN DANGER!!"

Reach's eye twitched, and it slowly opened. He let out a soft 'tch' as Pearl panicked and closed his eye again.

Suddenly, Pearl's armor engulfed itself in flames. Krieg's pirates were panicking more now. He rushed at Haruka, Luffy, and Sanji, who almost easily dodged.

"Holy crap!" Haruka exclaimed. Pearl began accidentally setting Krieg's men on fire. Luffy's pants also caught fire as well. Krieg's pirates began jumping into the water to escape the flames.

Pearl plowed his way over to the restaurant—to Reach. Reach opened his eye slowly, but by the time he did, he barely had time for his eyes to widen before a huge blazing gauntlet slammed into him.

"Gah!" Reach gasped. He landed on the porch with a _thud_, a trail of blood dripping down his cheek. Reach barred his teeth together. 'No… it's fine…' He thought He sat up and growled. "How'd I get involved in this?"

Suddenly, something over his shoulder caught his immediate attention—fire. His black flannel shirt was on fire. Reach's eyes widened instantly. He froze for a moment, and then… panicked.

"F…f…f…" He gasped. "FIRE!!" He screamed. He began pulling his shirt off over his head, using his feet to try to 'claw' it off. "AHH!! GET IT OFF!!" Reach screamed. He threw the shirt as far as he could and began frantically backing up, clawing the porch with his growing nails.

Haruka's eyes widened. Reach was in total hysteria.

Pearl swung his gauntlets around randomly, and one clocked Reach square in the back. He gasped loudly, coughing up blood.

"Aaagh!!" He exclaimed. He slammed into the wall hard. Then, suddenly realizing who had hit him, Reach screamed again, pulling his burning white T-shirt off of his body. "GET IT AWAY!!" He continued to scream. "AAAGH!!"

Suddenly, everything stopped. Reach stumbled to his feet, still facing the wall and his burning shirt. All eyes seemed to be on him now.

Haruka gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Stretching down Reach's back—at least one and a half, two feet long—was a vicious looking scar, like one from a blade… or something else.

Haruka glanced over at Luffy. He was staring at the scar now too. Reach was breathing heavily now, trying not to show any fear… but it was too late for that. So he tried to keep his cool as best as he could.

Sanji, trying not to let his guard down, turned to Pearl and got ready for a kick. Pati, who had managed to get out of the way of Pearl's rampage, began screaming at Sanji.

"What are you doing?!" He exclaimed. Sanji did a flip over Pearl and aimed for his head. Pearl easily blocked with one of his blazing gauntlets.

"You dare come close to the fire?!" Pearl exclaimed. Sanji smirked.

"Baka," He began, "What kind of chef would be afraid of fire?"

Pearl growled. "Just shut up!!" He brought his arm back for a punch. "Ball of Fire!" He exclaimed. Sanji ducked, rolled, and slammed his foot in Pearl's face. Pearl began panicking again. "YOU'RE TOO DANGEROUS!!" He screamed. He began launching fireballs towards Baratie. Chef Zeff suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"Chef Zeff!!" A few chefs exclaimed. "Look out!!"

Zeff didn't even bat an eye. He spun around and kicked the air, the force of which putting out the fireballs. Now merely balls, they bounced off of the walls.

"Even tough I only got one leg left," Zeff began, "Those stupid fireballs can't do anything to me."

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed. Haruka beamed with him. Suddenly, Kreig's spiked ball-on-chain came flying towards the porch. Haruka screamed.

Suddenly, Luffy jumped up into the air. "Gomu gomu no… BAZOOKA!!" He exclaimed, firing off both arms together. The ball stopped in mid swing. It went soaring back towards Krieg.

"Damn you!!" He exclaimed. He swung the ball around again, this time launching it more towards Baratie—probably by accident. The ball swung through the fire, catching on fire, and headed straight for Reach, who was still facing the wall and trying not to panick.

"Look out!!" Sanji exclaimed. Reach turned around, his eyes wide. He didn't even have time to flinch.

"Aah!!" He exclaimed, falling backwards and squeezing his eyes closed. But nothing happened. Slowly, Reach opened his eyes and gasped silently.

Standing over him, holding the flaming ball back was Haruka. She was only using one hand and her arm was catching on fire. Reach's eyes widened more.

"OI!!" Luffy, Reach, and Sanji screamed. Haruka blinked. Now her hair was catching fire.

"…Hmm?" She began. "Didn't I tell you guys?" She smiled. "I ate a Devil Fruit too!"

Luffy's eyes were wide with amazement. Everyone else's eyes were wide as well, but not for the same reason. Even Krieg was surprised.

"AWESOME!! HARUKA-CHAN!!" Luffy practically screamed. Haruka blushed.

Krieg barred his teeth together. "Who… are you?!" He exclaimed.

Haruka spotted him. "Me?" She said, smiling. She raised the ball over her head and chucked it at Krieg—it missed. "I'm Kazuya Haruka—The Next Pirate Queen."

**so that was pretty good, right? let me know!**

**Coming Up in Future Chapters:**

**+Reach returns! After apparently raiding Baratie's kitchen and getting attacked by Pearl, will his fear of fire cost be his downfall? And what's up with his scar?**

**Mizu disappears! As the rest of the gang fight off the impending attack by Don Krieg and his crew, Mizu's disappearance sparks new complications.**

**+Finally, Luffy and Haruka have begun to fight together! But unfortunately, its not the way anyone would've hoped. What will happen when Haruka's Devil Fruit ability might be what's causing her and Luffy to lose?**

**After witnessing the man who has 'tracked her down for years' nearly die, what feelings does Yuka really have for him? Hatred and fear? Or does she still remember some things she felt about him from years past?**

**STAY TUNED AND REVIEW!!**


	15. Luffy and Haruka vs Don Krieg

**After the semi-long wait, I have returned. And I must say, I'M BACK IN THE ZONE!!**

Normal

Attack name

_Flashback_

**Beast**

Chapter 14

Reach stumbled to his feet, not taking his eyes off of the blazing Haruka. By now, she seemed to be 'brushing off' the fire, putting it out.

"That's better." Haruka said, smiling. Suddenly, a loud crack turned everyone's attention to the piece of ship Krieg was standing on. The flaming ball Haruka had thrown had hit a large wooden pole on the piece of wreckage, and it was coming down fast. Haruka gasped and jumped out of the way, tackling the still shaky Reach in the process.

Reach silently gasped as he and Haruka hit the floor. Haruka quickly jumped up. The mast came down right on Pearl, splitting it in half more. Pearl gasped and flopped onto the mast.

"What's wrong with him?" Sanji asked.

"He's weird…" Luffy said.

Haruka laughed. "You could say that again…" She said. Suddenly, Sanji, Luffy, Reach, and Haruka heard a soft _click_ from behind them.

"Enough! Sanji-san!" A voice said. Everyone turned towards Baratie; Gin was standing over Zeff, pistol in one hand, half of Zeff's wooden leg in the other. Zeff growled. "I don't want to kill you!" Gin exclaimed.

"Gin!" Luffy exclaimed. Sanji bit down on his cigarette hard.

"Gin, you…!" He exclaimed.

Gin gulped and looked down at Zeff. "Even though he used to be a famous pirate, now he's just a simple chef." He looked up at the group. "I can kill him anytime!"

Pati and Carne weakly stood up. "That bastard…" Pati hissed.

Luffy "rolled up his sleeves" "I'll kick his ass!" He exclaimed; Sanji held his hand in front of him.

"Wait!" He exclaimed. "Let's listen to him first…"

Gin continued. "Do you want me to spare this man's life?" He asked. "Then, Sanji-san, leave this ship!"

Sanji said nothing. He just stared at Gin for a moment. Then finally, he spoke. "Leave this ship?" He repeated, "Why don't you just go to hell…?"

A few of the chefs panicked. "Sanji! You moron!" One shouted. "Don't tease him or he'll kill Chef Zeff!"

"Why are you so worried about the old man?" Sanji said, glancing down at Zeff. "You've got no right to boss around chefs anymore."

"Shut up, you stupid kid." Zeff said. "You don't have the right to talk to be in that way!"

Sanji barred his teeth together. "SHUT UP!!" He exclaimed. "Stop calling me a kid!!" Sanji paused. "Gin, point your gun at me!"

Luffy gasped. "What're you thinking?!" He exclaimed.

Haruka nodded. "You'll get killed!" She exclaimed. Sanji nodded.

"That's alright." He said. Gin's eyes were wide.

"Sanji-san… why?" He asked. Suddenly, from behind them, Pearl started to stand up.

"If you want to die that much…" He began, "I'll help you!! You made my nose bleed twice in one fight. It's not just luck, you're too dangerous! If you don't want that old man to die, then don't move!" Gin seemed to perk up. Pearl ran at Sanji, slamming his gauntlet into the side of his face. Haruka gasped, slapping her hands over her mouth. Sanji slid across the deck on his face and slammed into the wall.

"Sanji!!" Luffy and Haruka exclaimed.

Pearl licked his lip. "That suits you best." He snapped. Haruka cracked her knuckles and Luffy ran at Pearl.

"You…!!" Luffy shouted. But Sanji cut him off.

"DON'T GET INVOLVED!!" He exclaimed. Haruka turned towards him.

"Why didn't you avoid that attack?!" She exclaimed.

"Can't you see…" Sanji began, "He's about to pull the trigger?" Haruka blinked and glanced over at Gin. "Gin," Sanji began, "You're such a coward. You think that I can easily accept that deal?"

"Why?" Gin asked, "It's the easiest and best way! If you leave this restaurant, everyone will survive!"

"This restaurant…" Sanji began, "Is that old man's treasure!" He paused. "I've already taken everything from the old man's life… his power, his dream… That's why… I DON'T WANT THAT OLD MAN TO LOSE ANYTHING ELSE!!"

Suddenly, Pearl came up from behind Sanji and slammed his gauntlets into his head. Sanji and Haruka were fuming. "What are you going on about?" Pearl asked. "It has nothing to do with me at all…" Pearl jumped into the air.

"This is so low!!" Haruka exclaimed.

"This is our way of fighting!!" Gin exclaimed. "After all, it's your fault! If you gave up your ship before, nothing would've happened!!" Pearl suddenly came crashing down onto Sanji's back.

"Aah!!" Haruka exclaimed. "Just stop it!"

Pearl laughed. "Have you realized my power?!" Sanji growled and started to stand up. "What?!" Pearl exclaimed.

"I won't give this restaurant to anyone!" Sanji exclaimed. "And I won't allow anyone to kill that old man." Sanji put his hand over his heart. "If I don't risk my life, I'll never be able to repay him for what he's done for me!!"

"Repay me?" Zeff exclaimed from the ground. "Don't overreact, Sanji. I'm not unfortunate enough to let a kid like you protect me."

"Who's overreacting?" Sanji asked. "If you didn't lose your right leg, these guys wouldn't have been able to do this." By now, Sanji could barely stand straight.

"Why are you standing up, Sanji-san?" Gin asked. Pearl began laughing again.

"Still haven't had enough of me?!" He exclaimed. "You'll never defeat me! In the real world, the loser is the one who is defeated. It doesn't matter whether we use hostages or not… THE WINNER IS STILL A WINNER!!" He laughed. "Maybe I shouldn't ask you. You're the one who always sticks to that rule. Therefore, there's no way that you can still defeat us. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S NO HOPE?!"

Sanji sighed. "I just want this place… to last even one second longer."

Pearl snickered and laughed. He raised his fist into the air. "You still want to act cool? Let me tell you now, this restaurant is closed!! And it will become a pirate ship!" Pearl punched Sanji square in the jaw and sent him flying into the wall again.

A few chefs' clothes started to catch fire. "Hot!" One of them exclaimed. "The damn fire's getting stronger!!"

Suddenly, Luffy lost it. He thrust his leg into the air, at least fifty feet. "L-Luffy!" Haruka exclaimed. "What're you doing?!"

"Gomu gomu no…AXE!!" Luffy exclaimed, swinging his leg back down. The force completely broke the deck in half. Haruka was sent flying backwards and she screamed. She was headed straight for the water.

Suddenly, a low roar sounded from Haruka's left. Out of nowhere, a flash of black grabbed her and pulled her close. Haruka and the figure rolled over the deck and finally got their footing. The figure released Haruka almost immediately after they landed, as if she was still on fire. Haruka gasped and looked up at her rescuer. Haruka's eyes widened and she beamed.

Standing over her was Reach, his fangs poking out from between his lips. He was panting and glancing down at Haruka. "Are you alright?" He asked. Haruka nodded.

"You… you saved me!" She exclaimed. Reach sighed deeply.

"You saved me first." He said, glancing back at the commotion on the 'deck'. Luffy had Sanji grabbed by the collar.

"You're not repaying the old man by dying!!" He exclaimed. Sanji's eyes were wide. "He didn't save you for this!" Sanji grabbed Luffy by the collar.

"You got any better ideas?!" He shouted. Pearl growled.

"Both of you stop fighting, now!" He exclaimed. "It's your bad luck that you met Krieg's Pirates. You can't do anything!! As long as we still have a hostage!" Pearl ran at Sanji and Luffy, ready to strike. Suddenly, a flash of black flew at Pearl and bounced off of his armor, the force of which sending him back a few feet.

"I don't believe in luck." A raspy voice said. Reach stood, crouched down, in between Sanji and Luffy and Pearl. Reach growled. He was on his toes now; his feet had been slightly burned by the contact with Pearls armor.

From her spot on the 'deck', Haruka's eyes widened. She looked behind her. "He was just…" She said to herself. She glanced back at Reach. 'What speed…' She thought. 'He's cool…'

Pearl growled. "That's it!" He exclaimed. "I'll take you three out! I'll burn you to a crisp!!" Suddenly, as Pearl was running, Gin appeared in front of him and smashed his armor completely, shattering it with his weapon (I have no idea what it's called).

"Gin!" Sanji and Luffy exclaimed. Reach growled, flashing more of his fangs.

"GIN!!" Krieg screamed. "ARE YOU TRYING TO BETRAY ME?!"

Gin sighed as Pearl fell to the ground. "I'm sorry, Captain Krieg…" He began, "But, can I end this man's life with my own hands?"

"Gin," Krieg sighed. "Are you out of your mind?"

"You too, kid." Gin said, pointing to Luffy. "It would've been better if you'd left with your friends earlier."

"Eh?" Luffy began, "Don't worry, I won't lose to a bunch of weaklings like you." Krieg's pirates began to get angry.

"Kill them!" One shouted.

"Stop there!!" A voice said. Krieg, from where he was, had his head in his hand. "You're all upset because someone called you a weakling? It means that you really are weaklings." He laughed. "It doesn't matter whether you're strong or weak… It's all about the result! I'm still here, so why are you still complaining?" He looked over at Luffy. "Hey, you…" He began. "Between you and me, who do you think will become the greatest pirate?"

Luffy crossed his arms. "That'll be me." He stated. Haruka jumped up and ran over to Luffy.

"And me!" She exclaimed. "Or, or me…"

Krieg groaned and stood up. "Good, get out of my way." He said. He held out his arm in front of him and a huge shield with Krieg's Jolly Roger on it appeared. "I will teach those dreamer kids the truth about the real power."

"Is that a canon…?" Haruka asked.

"If it is, then I can bounce the ball back." Luffy said.

Gin gasped. "Please Captain Krieg, let me kill this man my self!" He said, pointing at Sanji.

"I don't care of how he'll be killed." Krieg said. "I always tell you I hate the words 'pride' and 'sympathy'. So understand this! This is a fight, and the only goal is to win! As long as the victory is mine… even if I use poison gas…!" The skull on Krieg's shield opened its mouth.

"Poison gas?!" Sanji exclaimed. Reach's eyes widened.

"You inhale this gas just one time and the poison will get into your bloodstream, and then you'll die." Krieg announced. He braced his arm with his other hand and fired. "And this is the real power!!" Krieg's men covered their faces with gas masks and dove underwater.

"I'll kick it into the water!" Luffy exclaimed, running at the poison gas pod. Haruka gasped and grabbed him by the arm, going with him.

"You idiot!" Sanji exclaimed. "Come back here!!"

Luffy and Haruka jumped into the air. "It's only stupid poison gas!!" He exclaimed. Krieg smirked and suddenly, the pod exploded in a fury of shuriken. Haruka gasped as the blades went right through her. Luffy was not so lucky, however, as the blades sliced his skin.

Sanji and Reach dodged as the shuriken came flying towards them. Luffy and Haruka landed on the 'deck' with a _thud_. "That… hurt!" Luffy exclaimed. He glanced over at Haruka. Wherever a blade had gone through her, her skin was on fire. Luffy looked at his wounds. "Ehh? This isn't poison gas…"

"YOU JUST REALIZED THAT!?" Haruka and Sanji screamed.

Krieg laughed. "The poison gas is an important weapon, so I have to use it wisely." He said. "I think it'd be better to use to destroy a small village. You're just a bunch of cowards, so I won't waste it." Krieg suddenly turned serious. "THIS IS A REAL FIGHT!! I'VE GOT MANY WAYS TO KILL YOU!! SO ANSWER ME AGAIN!! BETWEEN YOU AND ME, WHO WILL BECOME THE GREATEST PIRATE?!"

Luffy stood up and crossed his arms again. Haruka followed. "I told you." Luffy said.

"Me." He and Haruka said in unison. Krieg fumed.

"GIN!" He exclaimed. "I'll let you finish the chef, and I'll take out these stupid brats by myself." Krieg laughed. "I'll show you the power of the greatest of the East Blue. You two will realize that your talents are just toys!"

"You'll see that!" Haruka exclaimed.

"We'll crush you to pieces!" Luffy exclaimed. Haruka blinked at him, and turned her attention back to Krieg. "You better prepare to be defeated." Luffy exclaimed.

Krieg laughed. "You're still that crazy?"

* * *

While Gin and Sanji were fighting, Luffy and Haruka took the opportunity. Haruka grabbed onto Luffy as he ran up the fallen mast, straight at Krieg.

"It's not gonna work!" Krieg exclaimed, pointing his 'canon' at Luffy and Haruka.

"Throw me!" Haruka exclaimed. Luffy launched Haruka into the air and suddenly, the mast seemed to explode in a cloud of smoke. "Luffy!" Haruka exclaimed. Out of the cloud, spikes flew straight at Luffy. He ducked down quickly. Unfortunately, a few stuck him in the legs and arms. Luffy landed with a _thud_ onto another piece of 'deck'.

"OWW!!" Luffy screamed, pulling out a spike. He took his hat off and slammed it, and the spike onto the 'deck'.

In the meanwhile, Haruka was in the air, soaring towards Krieg. Her arms were on fire. "Take this!" She exclaimed. She launched her body at Krieg, who held up his shield. Haruka's flames hit the shield, making it steam.

"Was that supposed to do something?" Krieg asked. Haruka jumped back.

"YOU!!" Luffy exclaimed, pointing at Krieg. "Are you thinking about fighting me?!"

Krieg laughed. "Thinking about fighting? That's not important." He said. "The most important thing to me is the strategy to kill my enemy. It is the main idea of the real fighting! A person who only thinks of attacking like you is no different from a monkey."

Luffy grabbed his lips and stretched them. "You'll regret insulting the monkey!" He exclaimed.

Suddenly, a cry erupted from Sanji and Gin's match. Gin was standing over Sanji, crying. The man was actually crying.

"I CAN'T DO IT!!" Gin screamed.

Krieg growled. "Coward…" He whispered. "You can't kill him? You really disappoint me Gin. I always believed that you were the most trusted crewman I've ever had. And you were the one who would lead my Pirates to success!"

"Don Krieg…" Gin mumbled behind his tears. "Is it possible… that could let this ship go?"

Krieg became enraged. He held up his shield. "YOUR IDEA PISSES ME OFF!!" He screamed. Krieg's pirates put their masks on.

"But…" Gin exclaimed. "We survived because of this restaurant…!"

Krieg ignored the comment. "Throw away your mask." He ordered. "You are no longer one of my men."

Haruka barred her teeth together. Suddenly, Luffy ran up the mast again. "Who'd let you use that poison gas?!" He exclaimed. Krieg groaned.

"Get out of my face!" He exclaimed, firing his spikes again. Luffy squirmed to the underside of the mast and began shimmying towards Krieg from there. "You little brat, I'll kill you!" Krieg punched the mast, cracking it. Then, he launched another wave of spikes. A few hit Luffy directly.

"LUFFY!!" Haruka exclaimed.

"GIN!!" Luffy exclaimed. "Don't listen to that coward!! I'll crush him soon!"

"Hey, stop insulting Captain Krieg…" Gin exclaimed suddenly. Luffy turned towards him. Haruka blinked.

"What…?" She whispered.

"Captain Krieg is the strongest man." Gin said. "You'll never defeat him!" Gin suddenly threw his gas mask into the water. Haruka gasped.

"Oh no…!" She exclaimed, looking up at Krieg.

Krieg snickered. "Gas Bullet! MH5!!" He shouted. A huge pod flew towards Baratie, or what was left of it. Luffy lunged at four men in the water and snatched their masks. He threw three to Sanji, Reach, and Gin and one to Haruka. By the time Luffy turned back, everyone was gone, masks and all.

"AAH!!" Luffy screamed. Suddenly, a mask appeared beside him. The gas bomb exploded, sending a purple smoke throughout the area. When the smoke settled, Haruka stood up and saw Gin standing over top of Sanji, practically smashing a gas mask onto his face. "GIN!!" Luffy exclaimed. "That mask…!!" Gin coughed up blood and fell backwards onto the 'deck'. Luffy fumed. "KRIEG!!" He screamed.

Krieg laughed. "You feel sorry for this peace of crap?!" Luffy was enraged. Haruka stood up and growled. "The fool who let me down and doesn't follow my orders is not important to me… He always made mistakes. I've shown him mercy by killing him!" Gin coughed up more blood.

Luffy ran at Krieg. "Shoot me if you dare!!" He shouted. Haruka jumped up and ran along with him.

"I'm with you!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Morons." Krieg exclaimed. "You come to me for your death?"

From his spot on the deck, Reach just watched Luffy and Haruka as they fought against Krieg. 'Why…?' He thought as Krieg launched more spikes at them. Luffy was hit by a few spikes, but kept going, with Haruka right behind him.

Luffy tried to axe kick Krieg, but missed. He launched a punch at Krieg, but suddenly, Krieg pulled a giant blanket like armor of spikes over his body. "Thinking of punching me?"

Haruka jumped in front of Krieg. "Heat WAVE!!" She exclaimed. Her heat wave hit Krieg's shield, making the spikes steam.

"Gomu gomu no…PISTOL!!" Luffy exclaimed, slamming his fist into the side of Krieg's spike-guarded face. Then, as Krieg flew across the 'deck', Luffy shook his hand. "It's HOT!!" He exclaimed.

"Sorry!!" Haruka exclaimed. Luffy's hand was covered in blood from the spikes. Somehow, from where he was, Reach was unfazed by all the blood around him. It was either that he was getting used to it again, or what had happened earlier had done something.

Luffy pulled out the spikes in his arms and legs and held one up in front of him. "Nothing you've got will hurt me." He exclaimed. "I will not die here!!"

Krieg started standing up. "If you don't die here…" He began, "And this is not your grave…" Suddenly, Krieg slammed his shield into Luffy's chest. Luffy gasped; it was still hot from when Haruka had hit it.

Luffy flipped over and kicked Krieg in the head. "Then it's your grave!!" He exclaimed. Krieg slammed another shield of his into the one he already had and swung it at Luffy. A large stick appeared out of it, as well as a blade at the tip.

"This is my death spear!" Krieg exclaimed. "You'll die in one hit by this!" Krieg lifted it over his head and brought it down fast. In a flash, Haruka was in front of Luffy. The shields exploded in her face as Luffy jumped back.

"Haruka!!" Luffy shouted. Haruka jumped out of a cloud of fire and smoke, coughing.

Haruka jumped over to where Luffy was. "The damn thing explodes!" She exclaimed. Suddenly, Krieg's spear came out of nowhere and Krieg tried to stab Luffy in the face. Luckily, he ducked just in time. Krieg kept swinging at Luffy until he was forced to jump. Luffy grabbed onto the stick Krieg was holding and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Scum…!" Krieg exclaimed. "YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!!" Krieg slammed the spear down and sent Luffy flying. Krieg jabbed the spear at Luffy and Luffy grabbed into the blade with his fists. Suddenly, the tip exploded in Luffy's face.

"LUFFY!!" Haruka screamed.

"A person who makes me this angry is not worth living!!" Krieg screamed. Luffy stumbled to his feet as Krieg swung the spear at him. It exploded in Luffy's face again and he fell to the 'deck'. "Now do you realize that I'm the strongest?" Krieg asked. Suddenly, the blade on Krieg's spear shattered, and Luffy stood up.

"I hit it five times." He said. "You'd better be prepared!!" He laughed. "Since I destroyed the blade, your spear's just a bomb on a stick."

"Is that so?" Krieg said. "A bomb on a stick has enough power to crush you into pieces! By the way, you've been injured so greatly that I think another two hits and you'll stop bragging!"

"I didn't brag." Luffy said. Krieg swung his 'spear' at Luffy again; Luffy jumped into the air. "Gomu gomu no…GATOLING!!" Luffy exclaimed, sending multiple punches at Krieg's armor.

"Yeah Luffy!!" Haruka exclaimed. Luffy wound up for one more punch.

"Gomu gomu no…PISTOL!!" He exclaimed. Krieg stood completely still. Then suddenly, Luffy was sent flying backwards.

"What a waste of time!" Krieg exclaimed. "That monkey's punches can't destroy this armor!"

"I thought this would be finished soon…" Luffy said. Suddenly, cannonballs began raining down around Luffy. He jumped up towards Krieg, getting hit by a few cannonballs in the process. Krieg laughed. But suddenly, through the smoke, Luffy flew at Krieg. "Gomu gomu no… BAZOOKA!!" Luffy exclaimed, slamming Krieg in the chest. Krieg's armor shattered instantly. "Gomu gomu no… BAZOOKA!!" Luffy shouted again, slamming Krieg in the chest, again.

"Don't be so sure!!" Krieg shouted. He fired a large net at Luffy. "You can't escape this iron net!" Krieg exclaimed. "I win, because you can't swim!! If I pull you down there, you'll drown and die!"

But suddenly, Luffy stuck his legs out of the iron net and spun them around Krieg's head. Luffy dove for the water. "This time, GAME'S OVER!!" He shouted, slamming Krieg into the 'deck'. Krieg coughed up blood as Luffy and the iron net fell into the sea.

Suddenly, Sanji threw his shoes off and jumped into the water after Luffy. Haruka ran back to where everyone else was and sighed. When Sanji came up with Luffy, he started smacking him over the head. "Don't die…" Sanji said.

"I AM THE GREATEST!!" A familiar, and very angry sounding voice screamed; Krieg was back on his feet, somehow. "I won!! I always win!! I AM THE GREATEST!!"

Suddenly, a fist collided with Krieg's chest. It was Gin. "Captain Krieg." He said. "We lost." Gin glanced over at Sanji. "Thanks for everything, Sanji-san." He said. Sanji nodded. Gin had blood running all down his face and nose from the poison. "Sanji-san…" Gin began, "If he wakes up," He said, referring to Luffy. "Please tell him… 'See you again at the Grand Line'…"

**Ta~da~!! How was it? I felt like I kinda rushed it… maybe… but the first actual arc is over, but the saga continues for Haruka and the gang!**

**Coming Up in Future Chapters:**

**As the fight with Don Krieg comes to an end, Haruka discovers she'll be sailing with Luffy, Sanji, Johnny, and Yosaku. Mizu has disappeared without a trace, and Yuka and Luffy's crew are headed for an unknown destination. Reach, not wanting to stay on Baratie when the Marines come, comes with them. But what will happen when the destination becomes clear? When a new force threatens Haruka's newest crewmember, will she be able to do anything to stop it?**

**STAY TUNED AND REVIEW!!**


	16. After the Battle at Baratie

**Finally! A regular update!! Enjoy!!**

Chapter 15

Luffy woke up in a strange room. He blinked a few times and shot up. "Where's my hat?!" He exclaimed.

"Right in front of you." A familiar voice said. Haruka was sitting next to the bed Luffy was lying on.

"Oh, here it is." Luffy said, pulling his hat over his head. "Thanks."

"So you're awake now…" Another familiar voice said. Sanji was standing in the doorway, smoking. Luffy noticed he was covered in bandages and began taking them off.

"Hey, where'd they go?" He asked. "Gin, and those other pirates?"

"Gone." Haruka said. "'Cause of you."

"Gin told me to tell you," Sanji began, "'I'll see you at the Grand Line'."

Luffy beamed. "Wow! Meet you, right?"

"NO, YOU!!" Sanji shouted.

Luffy laughed. "Well, I guess we're leaving today." He said, looking over at Haruka. She nodded. "How about you?" He asked Sanji.

Sanji blew out some smoke. "I won't become a pirate…" He said. "I'll stay here and continue to be a chef at this restaurant. Until the old man accepts my skill…"

Luffy blinked. His arm stretched out to Sanji and grabbed him by the collar. "I understand. I'll give up then." He said. Sanji grabbed his collar.

"Then let go!" He exclaimed.

* * *

A few minutes later, Haruka, Sanji, and Luffy walked into the diner. The chefs were sitting down to eat. All the seats were taken.

"Oi," Sanji began, "Where's our seats?"

"Just sit on the floor." A chef said.

"Sit on the floor?" Sanji exclaimed. Haruka shrugged and sat down against the wall.

Suddenly, after Sanji and Luffy had sat down, Pati stood up holding a bowl of soup. "Hey!" He exclaimed. "Who made this soup this morning?!"

Sanji beamed. "I did!" He exclaimed. "Is it good? I worked very hard on it!"

Pati suddenly threw the bowl down, shattering it on the floor, soup spilling everywhere. "It's horrible! I can't eat it!" He exclaimed. "It's worse than pigs food!"

Sanji stood up. "Hey, I don't think your mouth is good enough for my food." He said.

Pati gave him the thumbs-down. "Hmph, it makes me wanna puke! It really sucks!" He said. The other chefs started complaining as well, throwing down their bowls.

"We can't eat this!" A chef exclaimed. "Disgusting!"

Haruka tried the soup. 'It's delicious!' She thought. 'Why would they…' Suddenly, something from outside caught her eye through the window. She stood up and slipped out the door quietly.

* * *

Haruka walked behind Baratie and hid against the wall. She peered around it slowly and found someone trying to untie a sailboat from the dock. The person was having a tough time with the ropes, getting his hands tangled in them. Haruka giggled. The person, suddenly stopping, must've heard her.

Haruka walked towards him and put her hands on the ropes. "It'd be easier if you cut them." She said. The person sighed in defeat and glanced over at her. It was Reach.

"I didn't want anyone to find me." He said. "If I cut them, people might think it was me because of…" He looked down at his tangled hands. "You know…"

Haruka laughed and put her hands on her hips. "What is it with you and being around people?" She asked. Reach gave her a confused look.

"Did you not _see_ what I did in there?!" He asked, pointing at Baratie. Haruka nodded.

"Yeah, I did." She said, shrugging. "I thought it was kinda cool!"

Reach blinked at her. "You're…" He began, but cut himself off, shaking his head. He pulled at the ropes some more, this time, biting them with his fangs. "Damn… rope…" He muttered.

Haruka kneeled down and put her hand on the rope. It suddenly started to burn until the ropes had been singed apart. Reach pulled his hands away quickly, glaring at Haruka.

"Sorry." Haruka said. "You're, uh… afraid of fire, huh…" She sighed. Reach scratched his head and groaned.

"Yeah…" He said. Since the fight, Reach had found his burned shirts. Only his T-shirt was wearable though, so he was wearing that. But there was a huge black spot on the back.

Haruka sat down, legs crossed. "So… you're name's Reach, right?" Reach nodded. "I'm Haruka!" She exclaimed. "Kazuya Haruka!"

Reach glanced over at her. "Kodaigo Reach." He said. Haruka smiled.

"And you're a Devil Fruit user too, right?" She asked. Reach hesitated, blinking at her a few times. Finally, he sighed deeply.

"Yeah." He said, almost sadly. "Tora Tora no Mi."

Haruka beamed. "Cool!" She said. "So you're a tiger man!"

Reach sat down against the wall and Haruka followed. "More or less…" He said. "It's… not something I'm particularly proud of though…"

"Why not?" Haruka asked. Reach hesitated at first.

"…Let's just say…" He began, "My… _abilities_ have gotten me into a hell of a lot of trouble over the years…"

Haruka was just about to ask what kind of trouble, when suddenly, one of them men from a few days before, Yosaku, came running around the corner. Reach jumped up, almost losing his balance.

"Haruka-chan!!" He exclaimed. "Luffy-sempai says we're leaving soon!!" Haruka jumped up.

"Really?!" She exclaimed. "Awesome!!" Out of the corner of her eye, Haruka noticed Reach had started backing into the shadows. "Uh… Hey, tell Luffy-kun I'll be there in just a sec." She said to Yosaku. Yosaku nodded and ran off.

Haruka turned around to face Reach. Reach stared at her, like he was trying to find the right words to say. "Uh…" He began, "Good… good luck finding your…"

"Come with me." Haruka said suddenly, cutting Reach off. Reach stiffened up.

"What?!" He exclaimed.

"Come with me!" Haruka exclaimed. "C'mon! You don't wanna stay here, do you? The Marines are probably on their way, and from the look of it…" she glanced over at the sailboat Reach was trying to escape in. It was beat up from the fight. "I don't think you're really going anywhere in _that_."

Reach growled almost silently. "So?" He said. "Why do you care… what happens to me?"

Haruka blinked. "'Cause I like you!" She exclaimed. Reach blinked, completely caught off guard. "And I think you're really cool!" Reach just stared at her for a few seconds; Haruka stared back. "So…" Haruka began, breaking the silence, "Whaddya say?"

Reach blinked. 'What's she thinking?' He thought, eyes narrowing a little. 'What does she want from me…?' But something in the back of Reach's mind told him to trust her, for now at least. He sighed. "Al…alright." He said. "Just 'til we get away from he—"

"YAY!!" Haruka exclaimed. She jumped into the air. "I got a new crewmember!!"

"I never said that!!" Reach exclaimed suddenly, jumping away from Haruka. Haruka blinked at him and shrugged.

"Ok then." She said, smiling. She started walking towards the front of the restaurant. "You coming?" She asked, seeing Reach wasn't following her.

Reach blinked and started walking as well.

* * *

When Haruka and Reach got to the front, everyone was crying. EVERYONE, other than Luffy. Haruka started laughing.

"Did we miss something?" She said. Luffy, Sanji, and Yosaku had gotten together two sailboats. Haruka jumped into the one with Luffy in it and Reach hesitantly stepped into the other, next to Sanji.

"LET'S GO!!" Luffy exclaimed as their sailboat pushed away from Baratie. "BYE!!"

"Thanks you guys!!" Haruka exclaimed, waving. She glanced over at Luffy and smiled.

Now all they needed to do was find Luffy's nakama, Yuka, and Mizu, and Luffy's ship, and they'd be setting sail for the Grand Line.

* * *

Mizu had been sailing for a few hours before she saw a small island appear. After getting close enough, she stood up in the sailboat and squinted, trying to see if there was anyone on the island. Suddenly, the boat violently shook back and forth, knocking Mizu off of her feet. When she had recovered, she looked up and gasped.

Standing over her was a large bluish colored man. The only problem was that he wasn't a man. He was a _fish_man.

"Wh-what do you want?" Mizu asked. The fishman grinned.

"You know exactly what I want, _Mizu-hime_(1)." He hissed. Mizu's eyes grew wide. The fishman grabbed her by the arm and raised her up. "Arlong's gonna be happy to see you again, Tsunami Mizu." He laughed.

"L-let go!" Mizu exclaimed. But suddenly, she started coughing violently, and a small amount of blood came up. From the sailboat, Jinta (Mizu's seal) started barking at the fishman. The fishman dropped Mizu onto the boat and jumped into the water. Suddenly, the sailboat began speeding towards the island.

Mizu, after she stopped coughing, wiped the blood away from her chin. She began to internally panic, suddenly realizing what was going on. She was going to see _him_ again. She couldn't go back, she just couldn't! But at the moment, what choice did she have?

As her sailboat came closer to the island, Mizu noticed a large building. She gulped as she read the sign that hung over it.

_Arlong Park_…_

* * *

_

While Yosaku tried to talk Haruka, Luffy, and Sanji out of going to the Grand Line, Reach kept his eyes fixed on the horizon. Sanji had made steak for him, but at the moment, he hadn't touched it.

Noticing, Haruka decided to say something. "Uh… hey, Reach?" She began, putting her hand on his shoulder "You gonna eat your steak?"

Reach, as if he was in a trance, jerked a little under Haruka's touch. She pulled away slowly. Reach nodded and grabbed his steak. He sniffed it and then downed it in one bite. "Thanks." He said, and then averted his eyes back on the horizon.

**A little shorter than I'd like, but eh…**

**(1)**_** Hime**_** means princess… I think**

**Coming Up in Future Chapters:**

**With Luffy, Sanji, and Yosaku as their guides, Haruka and Reach sail closer to their destination, and finding Mizu. And after being captured by the fishmen, Haruka's newest crewmember could be in danger. Will Haruka be able to get to Mizu before someone else does?**

**STAY TUNED AND REVIEW!!**


	17. Arriving at Arlong Park

**Yay for regular-ish updates!!**

Chapter 16

Reach could smell something. He sat up straight and took a deep breath. He looked behind him. Haruka, Yosaku, and Sanji were in the other sailboat, and Luffy was in the one he was in.

Reach sighed. He glanced out over the horizon again and sniffed the air some more. Something wasn't right… Then, Reach suddenly got an idea. He glanced at Luffy again and blinked.

"Oi…" Reach said, speaking for the first time since they'd eaten. Luffy blinked at him. "I think… there's some extra meat in the other boat…" After having seen how Luffy ate, Reach knew this would work. Luffy beamed.

"Really?!" He exclaimed. Reach nodded. Luffy jumped into the other boat. "MEAT!" He exclaimed. Reach took the cue. His nails grew out and he sliced the ropes that tied the two sailboats together in two, separating the boats.

For some reason, the boat Reach was in had a motor that had been propelling the two boats. Reach pushed away from the other sailboat and switched the motor to maximum speed.

Haruka, Sanji, and Yosaku gasped. "OI!! Come back!!" Sanji shouted, waving his fists in the air.

"Reach!" Haruka exclaimed. Reach didn't even look back. A small island came into view and Reach started to sail around it. But suddenly, the strange smell returned. Instead of going completely around the island, Reach docked at what seemed to be a small town. He hopped out of the sailboat and sniffed again.

Reach walked into the town and looked around. Everyone was inside either their homes or businesses. Reach noticed a small restaurant and walked inside.

"…Hello?" He said quietly. A woman walked up to him nervously.

"H-hello there…" She said. "T-table or the bar?" she asked. Reach looked around. He was the only one there. He motioned for the bar. Once seated, Reach ordered the biggest—and most expensive—steak on the menu. The chef walked up to him as he started eating.

"That's… a lot for a steak…" Reach told him, referring to the price. The chef groaned.

"What're you saying?" He said. "You don't have anything?" Reach looked up at him, his eye locked with the chef's. The chef took a step back, but kept staring.

"I will…" Reach said, beginning to eat again. "After I take down whatever's making this place smell like a fishing pier…" The chef blinked at Reach. "Fishmen, I'm guessing?" Reach coughed, his voice still hoarse. The chef nodded. "I could smell it… from a mile away…" He said.

"Is that so?" The chef said.

"…They smell horrible…" Reach said. "…Can't stand them…" Reach whispered. He finished his steak and ordered another; the chef refused. Reach sighed and gave the chef what he had, which wasn't much. "Thanks…" Reach said. He could feel his strength coming back with each meal.

Walking outside, Reach was roughly grabbed and thrown into a wall. A few people peered out their windows to see what had happened. A large fishman stood in the middle of the street, glaring at Reach. Reach stood up, brushing rocks and dust off of him. He groaned; he only had his white T-shirt on, and the slam had ripped the burnt part on his back completely. Reach ripped the shirt off and tossed it aside.

"You!" The fishman exclaimed. "I remember you!!" Reach blinked at him. "You're Kodaigo Reach!! The one who took down a dozen of us!!"

Reach said nothing at first. He took a deep breath, sniffing. "…That… was out of self-defense…" Reach stated. "…And it seems I was right…" He sniffed again. "You _are_ what I've been smelling…" Reach walked out of the hole in the wall he'd made and stood up straight.

"Bastard…" The fishman growled. Reach closed his eyes and sighed. Suddenly, the fishman lunged, practically roaring. "You'll pay for what you've DONE!!"

Suddenly, Reach's eyes snapped open and he snarled, his fangs clearly showing. The fishman's expression faltered and Reach took the opportunity. He jumped up and kicked the fishman in the back of the head, slamming him into the ground. Reach cracked his knuckles.

'Definitely feels better…' He thought. 'Now that I've eaten, I can—' Suddenly, Reach's thoughts were cut short, when something large and hard slammed him in the back of the head. Reach suddenly got dizzy, falling onto his knees. He managed to glance up. There was another fishman standing over the one he'd knocked out. 'Didn't… expect that…' Reach thought, his vision swimming. '…Damn…'

* * *

"That bastard!" Sanji exclaimed, rowing as fast as he could. "How dare he?!"

"I gotta give him style points though." Haruka said, smiling. "That was really fast!" Luffy joined her in laughing.

Yosaku pinched the bridge of his nose. This had been a long trip…

* * *

Reach woke up to the sound of water splashing and laughter. His eyes fluttered open, his head spinning.

"Hehe, I think it's awake!" A gruff voice said. Reach groaned and opened his eyes. When he saw what was in front of him, he growled. Sitting on a large chair in front of him was a large blue fishman with a long, spiky nose, webbed fingers, and a Hawaiian shirt—Arlong.

"You…" Reach hissed. Arlong laughed at him.

"You're Kodaigo Reach, right?" He snickered. "I remember you… from a few years back." He laughed darkly. A few others joined him.

Reach looked around. He was tied up tightly. There seemed to be a small army of fishmen around him.

"…I see…" Reach whispered. "You all… still think it's my fault that… that happened?"

"It was your fault!!" A fishman chimed in. "You—"

"Self. Defense." Reach stated, growling. "So… aren't you guys going to… try to kill me… or something?" He grinned darkly. "I'm still _really_ hungry…"

* * *

Johnny, Usopp, Zoro, and Yuka's sailboat floated towards a small island. Yuka was sitting parallel of Zoro, arms crossed and just watching him. Zoro did the same.

"I-is that it?" Johnny stammered, pointing to a large building on the island.

"N-nami's in there?" Usopp said.

"Well, we're gonna find out." Yuka said, looking up at the building.

"The first thing we need to do is find out where Nami-sempai kept the ship." Johnny said. Zoro picked up his katana.

"And then we'll cut her in pieces." He said. Yuka suddenly smacked him on the head with one of her katana's sheaths.

"Baka!" She exclaimed. "Why would you do that?!"

* * *

A few minutes later, Yuka had helped Johnny and Usopp tie Zoro to the mast. They'd also spotted the Straw Hats' ship.

Usopp and Johnny started docking the sailboat at the dock on the island, when suddenly, they noticed some HUGE men with large teeth and gills.

"F-FISHMEN!!" Johnny and Usopp exclaimed. Yuka gasped.

"What?!" She exclaimed. Suddenly, an abandoned sailboat nearby disappeared into the water. Usopp and Johnny freaked out.

"Let's get out of here!" Usopp exclaimed, jumping over the side of the boat. Johnny followed.

"HEY WAIT!!" Zoro shouted. Yuka stuck out her tongue and jumped over the side as well. Suddenly, two fishmen jumped onto the boat.

"Well, well…" One said. "Looks like you've been abandoned…"

"Um… yeah…" Zoro said, trying not to explode. 'I'll kill all three of them!' He thought.

* * *

Usopp, Johnny, and Yuka swam to shore. For some reason, Yuka felt a chill run up her spine when she got on dry land.

Suddenly, she spotted the town. All of the buildings had been severely beaten. "What the…?" She muttered.

"It must've been the fishmen…" Johnny said. "I've heard from birth… a fishman's strength is ten times greater than a human!"

Yuka looked around. 'Mizu's a mermaid, right?' She thought. '…Is she this strong too?' And then she remembered—she was supposed to be finding Mizu! "Oi, Johnny, Usopp," she began, "I need to look for my friend." She said.

Usopp nodded. "You go ahead." He said. Yuka nodded and started running for the tall building.

'Maybe…' She thought, 'Maybe she'd be there…'

* * *

Reach was harshly thrown into a small, windowless building. He landed on his back.

"Ah…" Reach moaned. 'I need a new shirt… or something…' He thought. Suddenly, he heard what sounded like crying coming from the corner. His eyes already adjusted to the light, Reach glanced at the corner.

Sitting in the corner, also tied up, was Mizu; a huge blue fin had replaced her legs. Mizu noticed someone else in the cell with her, but being so dark, she couldn't tell who it was.

"Wh-who's there?" Mizu asked. Reach blinked at her and turned back to the door. He groaned.

"…So… this is where you've been…" Reach said suddenly.

"E-eh?" Mizu said, sniffing. Reach sighed and suddenly, the ropes around him fell off. Mizu couldn't see him very well, but he sounded familiar.

Reach stood up and stretched. Suddenly, the cell doors opened, Reach being right in front of them. Mizu gasped when he saw him.

A fishman gasped suddenly, also seeing Reach untied. Reach suddenly lunged at the man, kicking him in the face. The fishman landed with a _thud_. Reach dragged him into the cell and tied him up with whatever he could salvage of the ropes that were around him.

Reach suddenly turned his attention to Mizu. In the dark, his golden eyes glowed bright. Somehow, Mizu felt afraid. Maybe it was because of what had happened back at Baratie, or maybe it was the feeling he was giving off as he stared down at her. Whatever it was, it didn't feel like Mizu was in a friendly situation.

Reach knelt down on one knee and sliced the ropes that were around Mizu. He stood up, never taking his eyes off of her. "Run." He said darkly. Mizu gulped.

"I-I can't." she said. Her blue hairclip—the only thing keeping Mizu in her human form—was gone. "I need my clip back…"

Reach blinked and walked out of the cell. "I'll be back." He said.

* * *

Once out of the cell, Reach shook his head, leaning against a tree. The different smells were messing with his head, making him nauseous; it was the same as Baratie. That's why he'd been acting strange—especially around Mizu. She smelled the strongest, for some reason, and she was who he was with when he started feeling strange.

On top of smelling fish all over, a new smell filled Reach's nose—blood. He covered his nose and walked back towards Arlong Park. When he got there, he saw Zoro sitting in Arlong's chair, bleeding fishmen lying all around him.

Reach moved out of Zoro's sight. He spotted the clip lying on the ground and grabbed it, stuffing it in his pocket. As he began to walk back, Reach noticed a large submarine looking mass appear out of the water a few hundred feet away from Arlong Park. Whatever it was was heading towards the side of the island the jail cell was on, away from the town. Reach sighed and ran for the cell.

* * *

When he got there, Reach found the cell empty. He walked inside and sniffed. As soon as he smelled something, Reach growled, his fangs showing.

"Damn…" Reach muttered, walking out of the cell. He walked behind it and sniffed again. The smell was getting stronger.

Salt water and trouble.

**Hope you guys liked it ^-^ it's not really as long as I wanted it, but ah well…**

**Coming Up in Future Chapters:**

**Now that Reach has a scent to follow, he keeps looking for Mizu. But what's the REAL reason he's looking for her? Not what you'd think. After coming in contact with her number one threat, and the other reason she joined Haruka, will Mizu still be able to be on Haruka's crew?**

**STAY TUNED AND REVIEW!!**


	18. Dominick

**ok, so hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter out soon, after this :D**

Chapter 17

Reach transformed into his tiger form and jumped into a tree. He began launching himself through the forest until he found himself standing over a small dock. The submarine from earlier had been tied to the dock and two fishmen in strange blue armor were guarding it. Reach noticed that the armor all had the same design: a trident on the chest.

Reach sighed. This wasn't good. It would've been better if he just turned back now. Reach jumped into another tree, being careful not to get noticed by the guards. He reached into his pocket and felt Mizu's blue clip in his hand.

Reach shook his head suddenly. He was starting to feel strange again. He sniffed, almost falling backwards. His pants, the only things he was wearing, since he'd ripped his shirt off, smelled like what Reach had smelled at Baratie. He needed to get rid of them.

Perched on the branch of a tree, Reach glanced from where he was headed to where he'd come from. Sighing, Reach jumped back to the tree he'd jumped off of, heading back towards Arlong Park.

* * *

A little further into the woods, Mizu sat, shackles around her wrists, in front of a tall, almost paper-white skinned man sitting on a large golden chair—almost like a throne. The man had a long blue Mohawk that was styled back and all he wore was a pair of blue pants and boots that made him look like he was in the army or something.

The man was staring down at Mizu, grinning like he'd just won the lottery. "Mi-chan~!" The man exclaimed. He had at least ten or so guards around him. "_Finally_ I found you again!" He stood up and walked over to her.

"St-stay away from me!" Mizu exclaimed, trying not to sound afraid. But in truth, she _WAS_ afraid. She couldn't go back with him. She _wouldn't_. "What do you want, _Dominick_!?" Mizu exclaimed.

--

**Enter: Dominick **

**Age: 19**

**Hair: Blue**

**Eyes: Black**

**Ambition: **_**unknown**_

--

The man named Dominick laughed. He kneeled down in front of Mizu and gently traced his finger along her jaw line, under her chin, and forced her head up. "Why did you run from me, Mi-chan?"

"You know damn well why!" Mizu exclaimed. She growled. Dominick leaned in, puckering his lips. Mizu silently gasped and wriggled out of his grip. She smacked Dominick in the side of the head with her tail. Dominick stumbled backwards. Regaining his balance, he stomped back over to Mizu and smacked her hard across the face.

"How _dare_ you?!" He screamed. He turned around. "Drink!" He shouted. One of his guards ran up and handed him a large bottle of what Mizu knew all too well—it was a bottle of Dominick's favorite drink, whiskey. "Dismissed!" Dominick exclaimed. His guards nodded and started walking back towards the submarine. Dominick took a few gulps of his drink.

"What a surprise." Mizu muttered. "Still drinking, I see…" Dominick spun back around, grabbing Mizu by the neck and slamming her into a tree.

"More so because of you, now!" He screamed. Mizu gasped. Dominick dropped her and took a swig of his drink. "I've been looking for you for MONTHS!!" He screamed. "And where the _hell_ have you been, huh?!"

Mizu was going to say 'Away from you', but she stopped herself. All she'd be doing is getting herself another punch, or slap, or slam against the tree. Instead, she just looked away.

Dominick sighed. "Mi-chan, I've missed you, you know that!" He said. Mizu bit her bottom lip; it was happening again. "When you ran away," Dominick continued, "We were so worried… _I_ was so worried!"

'Liar.' Mizu thought as her eyes started to get watery. A few tears slipped down her cheek. Dominick noticed.

"Did you miss me too, baby?" He asked softly. Mizu growled and glared up at Dominick fiercely.

"I'm NOT you're _baby_!" She screamed. Dominick suddenly slammed his fist into Mizu's face. She felt blood running down her face and she started to cry more. Dominick ran his fingers through Mizu's hair.

"We'll see about that." He said softly again. He leaned in again and kissed Mizu on the forehead. "I love you, Mi-chan." He said. "Tell me you love me." Mizu hiccupped.

"I-I love… you…" She forced out. But her mind was screaming, 'I hate you! I hate you, you stupid bastard!!' But saying that would only get her hurt even more.

* * *

"YAHOO!!" Luffy and Haruka exclaimed. Their sailboat was being pulled by a giant sea-cow creature Sanji and Luffy had beat up earlier. The four of them—Luffy, Haruka, Yosaku, and Sanji—were getting extremely close to the island. In fact, they could finally see it, getting closer and closer.

Suddenly, the sea-cow disappeared under the water and the sailboat flew into the air after hitting a large rock.

Haruka and Yosaku screamed. Sanji was hanging onto the small mast for dear life, and Luffy was cheering. Suddenly, the sailboat began brushing against the tops of the trees on the island until one of them gave out. The sailboat crashed into the ground, but kept going. Haruka peered over the side; the bottom of the sailboat glowed purple for a few seconds, then the color returned. It was just like when Haruka had slammed into Yuka, when they'd first met.

The sailboat ran over a fairly large tree, and suddenly, Zoro appeared in front of it. "Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed.

Zoro's eyes widened. "What the hell!?" He shouted. The sailboat slammed into him and still kept going. Zoro was now screaming, but at Luffy. The bottom of the sailboat began glowing purple again and out of nowhere, it turned very slightly to the left. Then, it stopped glowing again.

The sailboat ran over yet another tree, and, just like before, someone appeared in front of it—Yuka, this time. She screamed as the sailboat sped towards her. She slammed into Zoro, who unconsciously wrapped an arm around her, and Yuka unconsciously wrapped both arms around him, still screaming.

Finally, the sailboat crashed. Pieces of wood and debris flew everywhere. Zoro flew a few feet, Yuka still wrapped around him. When they landed, Yuka immediately let go of Zoro.

"What the hell are you playing?!" Zoro screamed, sitting up and rubbing his slightly bleeding head. Yuka also sat up.

"Yeah, WHAT THE HELL?!" She screamed. Haruka stood up suddenly from under a board and gasped.

"Th-that was… cool!" She exclaimed, jumping up. Yuka stumbled over to her.

"You're crazy, I swear…" She said. Haruka sighed, catching her breath.

"Did you… find Mizu?" She asked. Yuka shook her head.

Luffy laughed. "Oi, Haruka-chan, go look for your friend, ok?" He said.

Haruka smiled and nodded. "Yeah… Thanks, Luffy." She said. Yuka nodded and the two girls took off into the woods.

* * *

"I thought I heard a lot of commotion coming from this direction." Yuka exclaimed as she and Haruka ran through the woods. "That building, the really tall one, its called Arlong Park."

"Are we going there?" Haruka asked.

"No way!" Yuka said. "A pirate crew, all of which are fishmen, are staying there!"

"So?" Haruka said. Yuka groaned.

"Fishmen are beastly strong." She said. "The last thing you wanna do is fight _one _of them, let alone an entire crew of them!"

* * *

Reach sighed heavily. He sniffed, the smell from earlier finally gone, it seemed. "Thanks for the clothes." Reach said, glancing over his shoulder. A small family was standing in their doorway, eyes wide.

Two fishmen were lying in front of Reach, knocked out. They were the third and fourth fishmen Reach had beaten on the island—the first had been the fishman he had fought in the village earlier, and the second had been the one in the jail cell.

The two fishmen had come to the small family's house wanting money, and when the family refused, the fishman started threatening to get violent. Reach had 'saved' the family, and in return, they gave him some new clothes.

Now, Reach was wearing a pair of dark jeans that's legs were bunched up from a pair of large black boots. He also wore a dark, charcoal-ish colored jacket.

Reach stuffed his hands in his pockets, making sure he had what he had in his other pants' pockets—Mizu's hairclip, and…

Reach did a half sigh, half growl and started walking, stuffing his pockets' contents deeper into his pockets. Now, he had to get back to finding Mizu.

* * *

Dominick took another swig of his drink, gazing up at the sky. "It's only a matter of time now, my sweet…" He sighed. "We'll be married," He chuckled, "And I'll be the _king_!"

Mizu said nothing. She was leaned up against the tree Dominick had slammed her into. 'You'll never be a king…' She thought.

"But honestly, Mi-chan," Dominick began, "Why'd you run away, huh?" He laughed darkly. "I told you I'd find you, wherever you went! And I did!" He took another gulp of his drink. "Where'd you think you were gonna go, huh? Who were you gonna go to?!" He paused to burp. "You know no one's gonna believe what you say about me, Mi-chan…" He said. "We both know it! And we both know damn well that the only reason you're ever gonna get married, or be with anyone else is because of who your family is!" Dominick laughed. "I accepted you into my _home_. No one else is gonna do that for someone like _you_! Did you ever think someone else would?!"

Mizu still said nothing. 'Haruka…' She thought, 'Haruka was going to…!'

Dominick grew angry with the silent treatment Mizu was giving him. He finished his drink and threw the bottle at Mizu. "Say something, you idiot woman!!"

Mizu saw the bottle coming and braced herself, closing her eyes. But nothing happened. She heard Dominick gasp and she slowly opened her eyes. Mizu gasped; standing in front of her was a tall man with long blue-black hair…

Kodaigo Reach.

Reach stood in front of Mizu, holding the empty bottle in front of him. Dominick stood up, furious.

"Who the hell're you?!" He screamed. Reach said nothing. He only glared at Dominick. Suddenly, Dominick's eyes widened, his hands clenched into fists. "I know you!" He exclaimed. "You took out like… a dozen of my men!!"

Reach groaned. 'Out of self-defense' he was about to say, but this guy wasn't going to listen… no one did. Besides… He glanced back at Mizu, who gulped. Mizu had a little blood running down her face and down the side of her mouth. Sighing, Reach finally spoke. "So what if I did?" He said. "What're you gonna do about it?"

Mizu felt her heart beating fast. Her chest hurt and she could feel the urge to cough getting stronger and stronger.

Dominick suddenly whistled, and at least ten fully armored fishmen came running. Reach sniffed and covered his nose. 'Perfect.' He thought. 'I just got one smell out of my nose… now this…'

Dominick laughed. "Get him!" He exclaimed. A few of the guards cracked their knuckles. Reach blinked, still emotionless.

"I took out a dozen of _your men_." Reach said. "What makes you think ten are going to beat me?"

"Because I have only the strongest with me!" Dominick exclaimed. He snapped his fingers and the fishmen lunged at him. Reach growled and jumped up. He flipped over one fishman by grabbing his shoulders, and kicked another in the face. Then, he jumped off of that fishman's shoulders as he fell and dodged a punch from yet another fishman.

Suddenly, one of the fishmen punched Reach in the back, sending him crashing to the ground. Reach cursed under his breath and jumped back up, his nails growing out again. He slashed at the fishman that punched him, then, jumping on that fishman's back, he lunged at another, and another, and another, repeating his attack over and over.

Mizu finally started coughing. Reach could smell the blood stronger now. He jumped off of the fishman he was attacking and landed next to Mizu. Without skipping a beat, Reach grabbed Mizu around the waist and swung her over his shoulder. Then, he lunged into the tree, leaving the fishmen fighting nothing but themselves.

"STOOOOP!!" Dominick screamed. "You idiots!! That bastard got away!!" And then, he noticed Mizu was gone, and he practically exploded. "AND HE TOOK MY FIANCE!!"

* * *

Reach stopped to catch his breath after he and Mizu were far enough away from Dominick and his men. He set Mizu down against a tree and sighed heavily. She had stopped coughing, and luckily for Reach, she hadn't gotten much blood on his jacket.

Reach pulled Mizu's clip out of his pocket. "I believe this is yours." He said, panting. Mizu nodded.

"Th-thank you…" She said, a hint of panic in her voice. Mizu pulled at the shackles around her wrists. "I can't get these off…" She said sadly. "Dom has the key…" Reach put the clip back in his pocket so it wouldn't get lost.

"'Dom'?" He said. Mizu nodded.

"Dominick." She corrected. "He… he wasn't always like this…" She said sadly. Reach groaned.

"I see." He said. "So… that's why you ran away from… your old life." Mizu's eyes widened and she gulped.

"Wh-what do you know about my old l-life?" She said. Reach grunted and sat down against the tree opposite of the one Mizu was leaning against.

"You're a princess." He said. Mizu's heart nearly skipped a beat and she coughed a little. "Sorry." Reach said.

"H-how…? When…?" Mizu forced out.

"I've known it since I met you." Reach said.

"What?!" Mizu exclaimed. "_How'd_ you know?" she asked. "I-I mean you—"

"—Have been all over the place." Reach interrupted. "When you left, there was a lot of commotion on this island where a few fishmen lived." He paused as if searching for the right words to say next. "And like I said at Baratie… You… also smell… like fish… so I knew you were a mermaid…"

Mizu was about to say something when suddenly, the two of them heard something coming from a few feet away.

"Hey, I think I heard something over here!" A woman's voice exclaimed. Mizu beamed.

"Haruka!!" She called. Reach slowly got on one knee, in case he needed to bolt. Suddenly, Haruka and Yuka came into view.

"Mizu!" Haruka exclaimed, running through a bush. Yuka wasn't far behind. Haruka spotted Reach and beamed. "Hey, hey!" She exclaimed. "Reach, you found her!" Reach grunted.

Yuka noticed Mizu's face was bruised and bloody and kneeled down.

"What the hell happened?!" She exclaimed. Yuka looked up at Reach. "What did—"

"He didn't do anything." Mizu said suddenly. "H-he saved me… from…" She shook her head. Yuka's eyes narrowed and she kneeled down; she tried to help get the shackles off of Mizu's wrists, but with no luck. "You need a key." Mizu said. "Th-that's what I was just explaining to _Reach_ here."

"Well then let's just got get them!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Wait a minute." Reach said suddenly. "You don't need a key." Yuka, Haruka, and Mizu just stared at him. Reach groaned. "Just wait." He said; he began transforming into his tiger form.

"Cool!" Haruka exclaimed. Reach motioned for the girls to turn Mizu around. Once they did, Yuka and Haruka backed up; Reach walked up to Mizu and bit down hard on the chain connecting the shackles themselves. The chain broke instantly, and Reach spit out the bits in his mouth. Mizu turned around and Reach groaned loudly. Mizu gulped.

Reach picked up his huge paw and gently tapped Mizu's arm. She held it out in front of her and, extremely carefully, Reach was able to slip one of his fangs under the cold metal. He bit down hard again, being careful not to hurt Mizu, and again broke the metal. He then did the same for the other arm. Then, he transformed back.

"That was… actually really cool." Yuka said. Reach stood up, spitting a little more metal out of his mouth.

"I hate using that form though." Reach said. "For some reason or another… I can't speak in it, so it's like…" He shook his head. "Never mind…"

Reach stuffed his hand into his pocket and pulled out Mizu's clip. "Thanks…" She said, putting it on. Her legs returned, as well as her jeans and shoes. Mizu stood up, with Haruka's help, and rubbed her wrists.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Mizu spotted Dominick's submarine leaving the dock and sinking back underwater. She raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, a HUGE blue submarine began to appear out of the water. Mizu covered her mouth with her hands and gasped.

"It can't be…" she whispered as the submarine docked. "No…!"

**Dominick is also half owned by Miorochi :D**

**does anyone else feel like I didn't have enough of Dominick in this chapter? …I'll explain why in the next chapter, I promise :D And I finally get to Mizu's story!! (and for Miorochi: how'd I do with Dominick?)**

**Coming Up in Future Chapters:**

**Mizu begins to panic as the submarine docks. Who and what does she know? And will the others be able to keep their friend on the crew? As Mizu's past comes into play, will she have to return to the life she hates?**

**STAY TUNED AND REVIEW!!**


	19. Planning to Escape Mizu's Past

**Hey guys :D it's about freaking time I updated, huh?! XD**

**Anyway, I've decided to open like a FAQ on here, so if you have any questions (that I'm going to be able to answer) leave them in a review please! And the next chapter will have the answer… if I don't answer you right away XD**

Chapter 18

Haruka noticed Mizu was starting to go into a mini panic. "What's wrong?" She asked. Mizu gulped and took a step back, losing her balance. Mizu fell backwards a little; Yuka caught her and Mizu sat down on the ground.

"Th-they're here for me…" She muttered.

"Who?" Yuka asked, eyebrow raised.

"My…" Mizu began. "M-my parents!"

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Mizu, I don't understand why you don't like him!" A large merman exclaimed at his daughter, who was seated in a large chair opposite him. "You two were great friends when you were kids!"_

"_That's before he started drinking!" Mizu exclaimed. Her eyes were watery from crying. This was the first time in a few weeks she'd been able to get out of Dominick's house and back to her own, and no one would listen to her. "You don't know what it's like living with him!" Mizu shouted. She had a small cut on her lip and a bruise on her forehead. "Do you think I did this to myself?!"_

"_Mizu…" Mizu's father sighed. "I understand that you… don't like the idea of being forced to marry someone, but, you know, I had to marry your mother, and—" He was cut off by his daughter._

"_The two of you don't like each other either!" She shouted, standing up. "The only reason you two are still living together is because of that stupid arranged marriage!" Mizu wiped her eyes. _

"_You know that's not true." Mizu's father said. He was known as the 'King of the Seas'. He, as his father before him, had been in an arranged marriage, and his children were going to be as well. Mizu had been arranged to marry Dominick, the prince of a small section of sea known to inhabit a large amount of sharks. _

"_Why can't Dominick find someone else to marry?!" Mizu exclaimed._

"_Because." Mizu's father said. He stood up and tried to hug his daughter. "Your mother and I… love each other." He said. "We just don't show it much—"_

"_More like at all…" Mizu whispered._

"—_You and Dominick will begin to like each other again." Her father continued, oblivious to what Mizu had said. "I know it. The two of you will make a beautiful couple."_

"_He drinks _every night_!" Mizu practically screamed. "Do you know how easily he gets _drunk_?!" Tears were streaming down her face. "Please! Don't make me go back with him!"_

"_Mizu…" Her father began. "I'm sorry… there's nothing I can do."_

"_I don't believe you!" Mizu exclaimed, frantically swimming out of the room. She swam into her old room and threw herself onto the bed. She buried her face into a pillow and began to cry even harder. Her head hurt from the bruise and the salt water was irritating her cut. "I don't wanna go back!" Mizu sobbed into her pillow._

_A soft knock was heard from the door. "Mizu…" An even softer voice whispered. Mizu wiped her eyes. _

"_C-crystalla?" Mizu forced out. The door opened and a completely blue woman almost glided into the room. Her skin looked as if it was made of water and the tips of her hair were producing the occasional little bubble._

"_Mizu…" The woman named Crystalla said softly. She sat down on the bed and Mizu immediately wrapped her arms around the water-woman. She buried her face into Crystalla's neck and cried more. Crystalla stroked the back of Mizu's head comfortingly. _

"_I won't make you go back…" Crystalla whispered._

"_Wh-what?" Mizu exclaimed, looking up at Crystalla. "B-but…"_

_Crystyalla wiped the tears from Mizu's face. "I'm going to get you out of here, Mizu." She said. "We need to hurry…"_

_End Flashback

* * *

_

"Y-your parents?" Haruka asked. Mizu nodded shakily.

"Th-they… they f-found me…" She whispered. Reach stared at the submarine, eyes narrowed.

"That other submarine left…" He said. "That was _his_ wasn't it?"

Mizu nodded. "D-dominick…" She muttered, glancing down at the ground. "H-he… did _this _to me…" Mizu said, looking down at her bruised and bloody body. She bit her lip. "He… We… We're supposed to get m-married s-soon…"

"What?!" Haruka and Yuka exclaimed. Reach raised an eyebrow.

Mizu shook her head. "It's not like I want to!" She exclaimed, her eyes starting to tear up. "I-it's an arranged marriage!"

Yuka raised an eyebrow; Haruka blinked at Mizu. "Arranged… marriage?" Haruka said curiously.

Mizu glanced out towards the sea and then back at Yuka and Haruka. "I…I'm… not just… _any_ mermaid…" she said bitterly, "I… I…"

"She's a princess." Reach suddenly cut in, noticing how Mizu was having trouble trying to explain.

Haruka's eyes widened. "Y-you're a princess?! Cool!!" She exclaimed.

"N-no, it's not!" Mizu exclaimed. "I-I hate being a princess! I-I couldn't do _a-anything _for myself, and I've been engaged to Dominick since I was born!" A few tears slipped down Mizu's cheeks. "Th-there's nothing I could do to stop it except for running away…" She said sadly. "A-and… when I did that… I found you guys…"

Yuka was just staring at Mizu. She gulped. Haruka sighed sadly. "Mizu…" She whispered.

"I-I don't want to go back!" Mizu cried softly. "I-I want to be free to do what I-I want." Mizu cried softly. "I-I don't want to go back!"

Haruka kneeled down in front of Mizu and put her hands on Mizu's shoulders. Haruka looked straight into Mizu's eyes. "You won't." She said firmly. "I won't let it happen."

Yuka took a deep breath, watching Haruka and Mizu. 'Haruka…' She thought, 'I've never seen her this serious before…' Yuka bit her lip and knelt down next to Mizu. "I won't let you go back either." She said.

Mizu wiped her eyes and smiled, crying. "Th-thank you… Haruka… Yuka…" She said.

Reach was leaning against a tree, arms crossed, watching the entire scene play out. His face was expressionless. "They'll be coming for you soon, probably…" He said, glancing away from the three girls.

"I-I know…" Mizu said sadly.

Haruka stood up and cracked her knuckles. "Well then why don't we go to them?"

"What?!" Yuka and Mizu asked. Reach glanced at Haruka curiously.

"I want them to _really_ know what Mizu's feeling." Haruka said. "And it would be kinda pointless if we just waited, right?"

"You wanna go fight or something?!" Yuka exclaimed. "Listen, why don't we just grab a boat and run for it?" She suggested.

"N-no…" Mizu said. "M-my father… He's the 'K-king of the Seas'… He'd find us eventually… Just like he did now…"

Yuka rubbed the back of her neck and stood up. She and Haruka offered Mizu a hand and the two of them helped Mizu to her feet. "Well then I guess we'll fight." Yuka said. Mizu gulped.

"I-if… if I can convince my parents…" She began, "Maybe…"

"We might not need to fight at all?" Yuka finished. She turned to Haruka. "See? _Much_ better plan!"

"But…" Mizu began, "I-I've tried to convince my f-father… so many times…" She paused, shaking her head. "He refuses to do anything…"

Yuka sighed. "Does he know _that guy_ does _this _to you?" She said, referring to the cuts and bruises on Mizu's body. Mizu nodded. "Damn it…" Yuka muttered under her breath.

"Fight it is then?" Haruka asked. Mizu hesitated, but nodded.

"I-if… if I can't convince my f-father…" She began, "W-we just might…"

Haruka, Yuka, Mizu, and Reach stood in silence for a moment. Mizu bit her lip and looked down at the ground.

"H-haruka, please, you don't have to—" She began, but Haruka cut her off.

"I want to." She said sternly. "You're my nakama. I won't let anything happen to you… _especially_ if you're being forced to do something you don't want to do."

Mizu looked up at Haruka and smiled, tears slipping down her cheeks. "H-haruka…" She whispered. Haruka smiled and wrapped her arms around Mizu; Mizu hugged Haruka back. "Th-thank you…"

Haruka and Mizu released each other and Haruka nodded. "So," She began, "let's go kick some sense into this 'King of the Seas'!"

Mizu nodded sadly. "B-but… h-he's… incredibly strong…" She said. Haruka nodded.

"Right." She said. "…And you need to talk to your dad before anything else, right?"

"Y-yeah…" Mizu said. "…If…" She began, hesitating, "if Crystalla is here—"

"Who?" Yuka asked.

"Crystalla." Mizu said. "She's… like a _real_ mother to me… And she's also the woman my father _really_ loves…" Mizu paused. "But…" She continued, "Crystalla's… not human, or from a royal family, so… my father couldn't be with her…but… i-if _Crystalla _can convince my father…!"

"Who, whoa, time out." Yuka said, "'Not human'? Then what is she?"

"A water spirit." Mizu said. Yuka and Haruka's eyes widened.

"Huh?!" The two of them exclaimed. Mizu nodded.

"I-it's really hard to explain…" She said, "In fact, _I_ don't even understand some of it…"

Yuka sighed. "Ok…" She said. "Maybe we _should_ leave explanations for later."

"Y-yeah." Mizu said, sighing. Haruka crossed her arms.

"So… let's do this?" She said unsurely. Mizu and Yuka looked at each other, and then back at Haruka, and nodded. Haruka smiled and stretched her arm out in front of her. Yuka raised an eyebrow; Mizu just looked curiously at Haruka. "Oh, c'mon guys!" Haruka exclaimed. "Put your hand in!"

Yuka sighed heavily; Mizu giggled and put her hand over top Haruka's. Yuka shook her head and laughed. "Ok." She said, putting her hand on top of Mizu's hand. "On the count of three?"

"Yeah," Haruka said. "Just…" Haruka looked over at Reach. "Reach? You in?"

Yuka was about to protest, but stopped herself. Maybe this guy could help them after all. Reach raised an eyebrow, eyeing the girls. He focused on Haruka for a moment. Finally, Reach sighed and took a step over to the girls. "Fine." He said.

Haruka let out a whispered "Yes!"

"This still doesn't mean I'm joining you." Reach said firmly. Haruka shrugged.

"Ok, ok." She said, smiling. Reach groaned and put his hand on top of Yuka's. Yuka glanced at Reach for a second; his hand was very warm, but rough. "Ok, on the count of three, 'Nakama!'." She exclaimed.

Yuka shook her head. "Really?" She asked sarcastically. Haruka rubbed the back of her head and laughed.

"Why not?" She asked, "We're all nakama," (Reach eyed her warily), "And we're doing this _for_ our nakama, after all." Haruka said, looking at Mizu. Mizu smiled.

Yuka laughed softly. "Ok, I see now." She said, sighing. Haruka nodded.

"One, two three…!" Haruka exclaimed. Reach crossed his , Mizu, and Haruka shouted out after 'three'.

"Nakama!!"

**kyaa this is so short :( sorry… hey at least I updated, right? …I'm not proud of this chapter… quite frankly, I think it sucks… you be the judge.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**(oh, and by the way, I'm thinking of… not necessarily "rewriting" the story, but just going through and fixing things up… don't know when it'll be, but just a heads up…) **


	20. Convincing the Sea King

**Holy crap I need to update more often XD hey guys!! I'm still alive, and so is the story!! :D god it's been forever since I even opened MicrosoftWord XD but fortunately, I am back (for now lol)**

Chapter 19

Haruka, Yuka, Mizu, and Reach started walking towards where Mizu's parents had arrived. Mizu was nervous—understandably—but she felt some confidence with Haruka and Yuka by her side. Even having Reach there made her feel a little better.

"So… exactly _how_ are we gonna do this?" Haruka asked, crossing her arms behind her head.

"We can't just walk right up to them." Yuka said. "I mean, there _is _a possibility of them attacking us on sight!"

"Yeah…" Haruka groaned. "But we can't act all sneaky and stuff." She looked over at Mizu. "After all, we don't… _really_ want to fight, r-right?" She said awkwardly.

Yuka rolled her eyes. "_Sure_ you don't." She said sarcastically.

Reach, who was walking behind the three girls, eyed them warily. He still didn't quite understand why they wanted him to come along. After all, they didn't even _know_ him, really.

In a few minutes' time, Haruka, Yuka, Mizu, and Reach arrived near where Mizu's parents were. Reach leaped into a tree, refusing to go any farther. Very soon after, five guards found and escorted the three girls through the woods until they arrived in front of a large gold and blue tent. There was some commotion coming from inside the tent, and whoever was speaking sounded angry. Mizu gulped and stepped in front of the others.

"F-father?" She stammered softly. The commotion stopped for a moment, and a man stepped out of the tent. He was large and muscular, with pink eyes and long blue hair flowing down to the middle of his back. All he wore were a pair of cut off khaki shorts and sandals. Haruka and Yuka both looked at each other with confused looks. _This_ was Mizu's father. He didn't really look much like a royal Sea King at the moment…

"Mizu!" Mizu's father exclaimed, pulling Mizu into a tight hug. Mizu hugged her father back and when the two of them released each other, her father Mizu by her shoulders. "Mizu, _what_ were you thinking?! Running away like that?!"

Mizu bit her lip and looked down at the ground. She glanced behind her at Haruka, who's expression was serious and composed. Haruka looked Mizu in the eye and nodded. Mizu nodded back and looked up at her father.

"I-I ran away because I-I don't want to marry Dominick!!" She exclaimed boldly. Haruka and Yuka smiled. "I-I don't want to be his punching bag a-anymore!! Y-you'd never listen to me, so I-I ran away!!" A few tears started collecting in Mizu's eyes. "I-I wanted you to know how s-serious I f-felt about all this, but y-you'd never listen to m-me!!"

Mizu's father blinked. "M-mizu…" He began, "Please, we've been over this before—"

"A-and it all ends the same!!" Mizu exclaimed, pulling away from her father and stepping back with Haruka and Yuka. "W-with you t-telling me there's nothing you can d-do!! W-well _I_ did something!! I-I found f-friends… wh-who support me." Mizu said, looking over at Yuka and Haruka each. "A-and if it wasn't for th-them… I-I wouldn't have been able to tell you this…" Her gaze fell down to the ground and she bit her lip. "F-father…" She said, looking up at her father, "I'm sorry, but I'm staying here—with my friends. I-I won't be coming back home… and I _won't _marry Dominick, or anyone else you want me to marry! Not today, not tomorrow, not _e-ever_."

Yuka practically stared at Mizu. Mizu had guts, that was for sure—even if sometimes she didn't act like she did. Haruka crossed her arms and watched Mizu's father, a grin plastered on her face. Mizu's father was taken aback by Mizu's statement. Before he had a chance to say anything, another voice came from within the tent.

"The hell's goin' on?" A familiar voice said. Mizu gulped and took a step back. "I heard my name…" The flap to the tent opened and out walked Dominick. Haruka balled her hands into fists and glared at him. When Dominick spotted Mizu, his eyes widened. "Mi-chan~" He exclaimed. Mizu took another step back as Dominick walked towards her, and Haruka stepped in from of him. A look of disgust washed over Dominick's face. "Who the _hell_'re you, girl?" He hissed.

"Kazuya Haruka." Haruka hissed back. "I'm Mizu's friend." Dominick suddenly started laughing.

"Mi-chan's friend?" He said. He lifted a bottle of liquor to his lips and took a swig of it.

"H-he's drunk…" Mizu whispered to Yuka. "H-he gets violent wh-when he's drunk…" Yuka frowned and put her hand on one of her katanas.

"Retsu-sama," Dominick said, looking back at Mizu's father, "I'll handle this…"

Mizu's father—Retsu—crossed his arms. What his daughter had said—this time—was starting to sink in. Retsu let Dominick take over to see what he would do, especially since he was drunk.

"D-dominick." Mizu said as confidently as possible.

"Mi-chan~" Dominick said, "This's the second time today I've had to deal with this little _situation_."

"You call this a _little _situation?!" Haruka exclaimed, taking another step towards Dominick. The guards nearby put their hands on their weapons; Yuka began to get tense, pushing one of her katanas slightly out of its sheath. Haruka raised her hand in front of Yuka though, to Yuka's surprise. "I got this." Haruka said, her eyes still fixed on Dominick's.

Dominick sneered. "So what'd you say your name was again, girl?" He asked, "Huruko or something?"

"Ha-ru-ka." Haruka said.

"Whatever." Dominick scoffed. "Whaddya want, anyway?"

"Possibly an agreement." Haruka said. "Mizu's my friend, and she doesn't want to go back with you, so she's coming with us."

"And you're asking _me_ to agree with that?" Dominick said.

"I'm not _asking _you _anything_." Haruka said, smirking. "You don't have any control over her. The only reason I'm even talking to you right now is 'cause you won't back off." She smiled, "So back off, ok?"

"Like _hell _I will!" Dominick exclaimed, grabbing Haruka's arm. He attempted to shove her out of his way, but when he grabbed Haruka's arm, he suddenly cried out in pain, waving his hand around. Haruka's body had started to steam as she was talking with Dominick, so when he touched her, he got burned. "You little _bitch_!" Dominick exclaimed, balling his good hand into a fist. Haruka did the same and punched Dominick in the face before he had the chance to do anything.

The guards all suddenly pulled out their weapons. Yuka growled and unsheathed one of her katanas. "H-haruka!" She exclaimed.

Dominick, lying on the floor, was clutching the side of his face in pain. "Y-you'll pay for this!!" He screamed at Haruka, jumping to his feet.

"_That_," Haruka exclaimed, "was for what you've done to Mizu!!" She turned to Mizu's father. "You _knew_ what he was doing to her, but didn't do anything?!" She exclaimed, "Y-you're her _father_!! You're supposed to _protect _her, not get her into a dangerous situation like this!!"

"How dare you speak to me in such a tone?!" Retsu roared, causing the sea nearby to start to become more violent. "Do you have _any_ idea who I am?!"

"You're the 'King of the Seas'," Haruka said, "Do you really think you being a king is gonna stop me from trying to protect my friend?!" Haruka stood defensively in front of Mizu. "I don't care if you're the King of the Seas or King of the World!!" She exclaimed. "I _won't _let you let her get hurt _again_!!"

Retsu couldn't say anything—he was speechless. Dominick, on the other hand, apparently had a lot to say. "How _dare_ you talk like that to Retsu-sama?!" He roared, still clutching his cheek. "You little bitch! You little _human_ bitch!! Do you have any idea what we could do to you, huh?! For all this, I _guarantee_ I'll see you locked up for the rest of your miserable life!! You hear me?! Huh?! You little bit—"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!!" Mizu suddenly screamed, slamming her fist into the other side of Dominick's face—causing him to fall over. Mizu's heart beat rapidly again, causing her to clutch her chest in pain, but she still stood her ground. "Th-that's e-enough, D-Dominick!!" She exclaimed. "J-just shut up!!"

"_YOU _SHUT UP!!" Dominck exclaimed, jumping up and clenching his good hand into a fist. "SHUT THE HELL UP, DAMN YOU!!"

Mizu closed her eyes, waiting for Dominick's punch, but nothing happened. Mizu opened her eyes when she heard Dominick gasp. Yuka was standing between the two of them, with one of her swords unsheathed about half way. Yuka had blocked Dominick's punch, causing him to—instead—punch the side of Yuka's sword.

"What the hell?" Yuka said darkly, "I thought fishmen were supposed to be beastly strong. You just _punched_ my sword and it didn't feel like anything happened!"

"Maybe it's 'cause he's drunk." Haruka suggested, crossing her arms. Dominick snarled at Yuka and grabbed her sword without thinking, cutting his hand. When Dominick cried out in pain again. Yuka pulled her sword from his grasp.

"Damn it…" Yuka hissed through clenched teeth.

Dominick glared at Yuka. "Screw you, _bitch_!!" He roared as he started running at Yuka. Yuka held her sword in front of her defensively; before either of them could do anything, a pillar of water suddenly appeared between them.

"Wh-what the…?!" Yuka exclaimed, backing up as water started splashing her and Dominick. At the sight of the water, Mizu beamed.

"C-crystalla!!" She exclaimed. The water started taking form until a beautiful water-made woman appeared. Haruka blinked in surprise.

'So _this_ is what a water spirit looks like…' She thought, 'Cool!'

"Please, stop this at once!" Crystalla said to Dominick. Dominick growled.

"Sh-shut up, damn it!!" He exclaimed. "Now get outta my way before—"

"ENOUGH!!" Retsu suddenly roared. "Dominick!! That is _enough_!!"

Dominick gave Retsu a look of confusion and disgust, but obeyed his command. "O-of course, Retsu-sama…" He hissed. He glared at Yuka, Mizu, and Haruka. "This is _not_ over, you hear me?" He snarled.

Retsu called over a few guards. "Bring Dominick's submarine back here at once and escort him back to his home." The guards nodded and two of them ran into the sea, disappearing.

"Whoa…" Haruka said softly. The other guards escorted Dominick back into the tent.

Retsu walked up to Mizu and Crystalla. Yuka rung out her hair and groaned; Haruka walked over to Yuka and laughed softly. "You know, I think we might've done it." She said.

Yuka chuckled. "You think so?" She said. "I dunno… All we—no, _you_—really did was yell at the King."

Haruka scratched the back of her head and laughed. "Y-yeah, well…" She began, "I think what Dominick did had a big part of what just happened." She said. "I mean, the King got to see what Dominick's like when he's… drunk… _and_ he tried to hit Mizu right in front of him!" Haruka crossed her arms. "That guy's an asshole…"

"Tch, yeah, you said it." Yuka chuckled. She looked over at Mizu, talking with her father and Crystalla. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"Hmm…" Haruka began, looking at Mizu as well, "Probably about what happened and stuff." She said.

"I hope so…" Yuka sighed. "…Hey… what happened to Reach?" Yuka asked, suddenly remembering that Reach had jumped into a tree before they got here.

"I dunno…" Haruka said. "He said he didn't want anything to do with this… but he already saved Mizu, so I guess he was already involved, but…" She shrugged. "I've got no idea where he went."

Yuka groaned and crossed her arms. "And here I thought he was gonna be of some help." She said grumpily, rolling her eyes.

Suddenly, off in the distance, something shot into the air—it looked like a leg, but neither of the girls was sure. Then, the leg came crashing down and destroyed the tower-looking building that belonged to the fishmen occupying the island.

"Whoa!!" Haruka exclaimed loudly.

"What the hell was that?!" Yuka exclaimed.

"Hey, hey, do you think it was Luffy-kun?!" Haruka asked, beaming. "He can stretch! That must've been his leg!"

"Damn…" Yuka sighed, "I wonder what the hell he's doing over there…" 'And Zoro…' Yuka thought, 'I wonder how he's doing… with that injury from Mihawk…'

"Oooh I wanna go see him!" Haruka exclaimed. "After we get done here, of course, but still!!"

Yuka rolled her eyes. "Ok." She merely said. Then, Mizu suddenly came running over to the two girls. "Oh, hey, you guys are done talking?"

"Y-yeah." Mizu said, panting. "W-we are."

"So? What'd your dad say?" Haruka asked.

Mizu was a little hesitant. "He said…" She began, "th-that he wouldn't allow me to run off and be a pirate, but then Crystalla convinced him that I was in good hands, and that if I'm on the sea, he'd have access to me, like how he found us."

"So does this mean you can come with us?" Yuka asked.

Mizu took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes," she said, beaming, "I can go with you!"

Haruka smiled bigger that Mizu had. "YEEEES!!" She exclaimed, jumping into the air. "YEAH!!" Haruka practically tackled Mizu. "We did it!!" She exclaimed.

"Y-yeah!!" Mizu exclaimed as tears of joy started forming in her eyes. "We did!!"

Yuka laughed as Haruka cheered. "Well then it's official, I guess." Yuka said. "Mizu's a pirate now."

Mizu smiled and wiped her eyes. "Haruka, Yuka, thank you… so much!!" Haruka gave Haruka the thumbs-up and Yuka nodded.

"Aaalright!!" Haruka exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "Now we just gotta find Reach—and Luffy—and then we can set saaaail!!"

"…Um… Haruka…" Mizu began, "I… I actually need a moment… before we do anything."

Haruka looked over at Yuka, and then back at Mizu. "Ok." She said, smiling. "Whatever you need."

Mizu nodded. "Thanks." She said. "I'll be right back." Mizu started making her way back over to Crystalla; Retsu started walking towards his tent, probably to tell Dominick what was going on or something. He passed by Haruka and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye for a moment.

'Mizu…' He thought, 'This _Haruka_… She's something else… No human has ever spoken to me like that, yet she did it for you… Probably fully knowing what the consequences could've been…'

Just before Retsu completely passed Haruka, Haruka turned towards him. "Oh, uh, Mr. Retsu?" She began, "Sorry about the yelling." She scratched the back of her head and chuckled awkwardly. "I… wasn't really thinking, to be honest."

'…Scratch that last part…' Retsu thought in reply to his other thought. "It's alright." He said. "After all, thanks to you, I got to see what Dominick is really like, and I also realized something today."

"…What's that?" Haruka asked. Retsu chuckled and completely ignored her question. He continued walking towards his tent and waved to Haruka over his shoulder. Once Retsu was in the tent, Haruka crossed her arms.

"He ignored my question!" She said. Yuka slapped her forehead.

"He's the King, remember?" She said. "He can do that…"

"Hmph…" Haruka grunted. Yuka rolled her eyes and chuckled.

* * *

Mizu followed Crystalla behind some trees and put her hand into her water-made-hair. "Mizu," She began, "I've been wanting to do this for so long. It will help you with your… condition…" Mizu unconsciously placed her hand on her heart and sighed. Crystalla started pulling something out of her water-hair—a furry white seal.

"Jinta!" Mizu exclaimed as the seal jumped into her arms. "But… how'd you find her? I lost her on the island when I got captured!"

"Thank your friend." Crystalla said. "That man… Kodaigo Reach, I think he said his name was, he found Jinta and brought her to me."

"Reach…" Mizu whispered. "Do you know where he went?" Crystalla shook her head sadly.

"Once he gave Jinta to me, he took off." She said. Crystalla held her arms out in front of her, placing her hands on Jinta's back. "I need to do this now." She said.

Mizu nodded and nuzzled Jinta. "Please, take care of me, ok?" She said. Jinta barked happily. Crystalla closed her eyes and Jinta started turning into water. Soon, the water started forming a star-shaped necklace. Mizu examined the necklace and smiled sadly. "Jinta…" She whispered.

"As long as you're wearing this," Crystalla said, "Your condition will decrease. If you take it off, your heart won't be protected anymore."

"I understand." Mizu said. She wrapped her arms around Crystalla. "Thank you… Crystalla." She said.

Crystalla wrapped her water-hands around Mizu as well. "You're welcome, Mizu." She said. She slipped two fingers under Mizu's chin. "Now," She began, "Go with your friends." She smiled warmly. "Be safe."

"I-I will." Mizu said, wiping her eyes. "I'm gonna miss you…"

"I'll miss you too." Crystalla said. She tapped Mizu's necklace with one finger. "But you have a part of me with you, now. I'll always be with you." Crystalla's hand started to drip and she gasped softly. "I have to go now…" She said sadly. "I love you, Mizu."

"I-I love you too…" Mizu said as Crystalla started to disappear. Crystalla smiled and waved goodbye before her entire body melted and disappeared all together. Mizu held onto her necklace with both hands. 'You'll always be with me… Crystalla…' She thought. 'Thank you…'

**and alas, we come to the end of chapter 19… I like this chapter more than the last chapter, but I don't know if I'm 100 percent satisfied with the outcome of the "fight"… what do you guys think?**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	21. After the Fight

Chapter 20

Haruka, Mizu, and Yuka headed back to the village, trying to find Reach. When they finally did reach the village, however, they still hadn't found him. The whole village seemed to be celebrating something. There was music, people dancing, and a ton of food. Haruka's stomach growled when she spotted the food table. She scratched the back of her head.

"I'm hungry." She said. "Anyone else gonna join me?"

"Shouldn't we look for that Reach guy?" Yuka asked. Haruka started heading over to the table.

"We will." She said over her shoulder. "Besides, he's got a really good nose, right? He'll smell all the food and stuff and come here!"

Yuka sighed. "And who knows if he's not already sailed outta here by now…?" She muttered to herself.

Mizu started heading over to the food table as well. "I-I'm kinda hungry too." She said. Yuka nodded.

"I might get something to eat in a little bit." She said. As Mizu and Haruka walked away, Yuka crossed her arms and started wandering. Soon, she started hearing the sound of someone screaming. She turned down one of the village's streets and came to where the sound was coming from—a small hospital building. Sanji and Usopp were sitting outside when Yuka approached.

When Sanji spotted Yuka, he went into a love-fit over her, like he does with all women. Yuka completely ignored him and walked into the hospital to find Luffy sitting next to a bed-ridden Zoro, who was being stitched up by the local doctor.

"Thought I heard you." Yuka said, leaning against the door.

"Sh-shut up." Zoro muttered through clenched teeth.

"Don't you have a doctor in your crew?" The doctor was saying.

"Not yet." Luffy said, "We need a musician first."

"Wh-why?" The doctor asked.

"Because a pirate's life is supposed to be fun!" Luffy exclaimed. Yuka chuckled softly and shook her head.

"Look," the doctor said, "Why don't you go back and join the party."

Luffy smiled. "Yeah, ok!" He exclaimed. "I'm hungry anyway." And with that, he jumped up and walked out the door. Then, he back-stepped a few steps until he was next to Yuka again. "Hey, have you seen Haruka?"

"Food table." Yuka said, jabbing a finger towards the outside. Luffy smiled.

"Thanks!" He said, darting out the door. Yuka took a deep breath and sat down in the seat Luffy was in only moments ago—right next to Zoro.

"Well, look at you." She said. "I still don't get it…"

"What?" Zoro asked, his voice showing obvious discomfort and aggravation.

"Why you'd go up against someone you _know_ you can't beat!" Yuka exclaimed.

Zoro frowned. "If you're talking about Mihawk, then stop." He said. Yuka sighed and crossed her arms.

"Honestly, _Zoro_." She said, "You're gonna end up getting killed."

"Then I'll die in pursuit of my dream." Zoro said defiantly. Yuka was silent for a moment. Zoro just stared at her. "What?" He asked again.

"Nothing." Yuka stated. Her eyes traced the now-sewn-up cut on Zoro's chest. Then, she stood up quickly. "Well, I'll be going." She said as she started heading for the door.

"Whatever…" Zoro muttered.

Yuka stopped at the door for a moment and glanced over her shoulder. Then, she walked out and closed the door behind her. When she was outside, Yuka breathed a heavy sigh. "Damn…" She muttered blankly. At this point, Yuka didn't want to go back to the party, but she wasn't satisfied with her wandering, so she decided to wander into the woods.

Once she'd wandered deep into the forest, Yuka started to hear movement up ahead. She started walking a little faster until she came to a small clearing; no one was there.

"Hey, come out." Yuka said, "I heard you just a sec ago, so I know you're here." After a moment of silence, Yuka groaned. She was just about to head back when she heard a couple branches snap and the rustling of leaves behind her. Yuka spun around and found Reach crouched down next to a tree, as if he'd just jumped down from one of its branches. "R-reach." Yuka said, a little startled.

Reach stood up and leaned against the tree he'd jumped out of, crossing his arms. "Hey." He said plainly.

"Where the hell have _you_ been?" Yuka asked, walking up to him. Reach watched her with obvious distrust in his eye—Yuka noticed.

"Around." Reach said as plainly as he'd spoken before.

Yuka grunted a little and glanced down at the ground. "Right…" She said blankly. When She looked back up at him, Reach was still watching her with the same look. "So… how come you're out here? You know, there's a lot of food back at the party…" Yuka said, remembering how Reach had constantly been eating back at the Baratie.

"…I got lost…" Reach said hesitantly. Yuka raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you had this great sense of smell…" She said.

Reach glanced away for a moment and sniffed. "Everything still smells like fish to me, right now." He said.

"Well, there are signs all over the place pointing to the village." Yuka said. Reach shrugged off her statement and Yuka just let it go. "Well… you want me to lead you back?" She asked.

Reach stared at her for a moment and raised his eyebrow. Yuka smiled innocently. Finally, Reach sighed. "Ok…" He muttered. Yuka smiled and walked up to him.

"This way." She said, gesturing behind him. Reach watched Yuka closely as she passed him and then followed behind her by a few feet. The two were silent as they walked, and the quiet was starting to get to Yuka. "Ok, well, this is kinda awkward…" She said, breaking the silence. She stopped and turned around to face Reach; Reach's eye widened a little and he took a step back.

"What?" He asked.

"Well, you know…" Yuka began, "The silence… and the fact that I feel like you're staring a hole into the back of my head." She chuckled to herself. Reach became quiet again; Yuka sighed. "Ok, look, it's probably gonna take a little while to get back, so we might as well… you know, talk… to pass the time… or something." Yuka really wanted to know some more about Reach—he was too mysterious for her taste, plus, he seemed like he was constantly waiting for her to attack him or something; he never relaxed, once. Reach didn't say anything, so Yuka started talking instead. "You were pretty cool earlier," She began, "when you were taking those shackles off of Mizu."

Reach merely shrugged. "She was scared of me, though." He said. "Scared of… the form I was in… Not that I blame her, really… It's not every day that a tiger bites metal shackles off of your wrists by slipping his fang under them…" Yuka was practically staring up at Reach—that was probably the most she'd been able to get him to say. Reach crossed his arms. "What?" He asked.

"Nothing." Yuka said. Reach looked away from her awkwardly and adjusted his jacket. Then, Yuka remembered something. "H…hey, Reach?" She began. Reach glanced at her, acknowledging her. "Um…" Yuka continued, "How's… how's your back?" She asked. "'Cause I know, back at Baratie, your clothes caught on fire and all…"

"It's fine…" Reach said. "Thankfully, I didn't get burned…"

"That's good." Yuka said, smiling. There was another awkward silence between them before Yuka spoke again. "Umm… Y-you know, just to make sure…" She began, "Could I maybe… see your back?" Reach stared at her intently, as if looking for something. Yuka bit her lip. Finally, Reach sighed.

"Fine…" He whispered under his breath. He turned around and took his jacket off, revealing the long scar that stretched down his entire back. Yuka stared at his back—she could tell that his muscles were tense and that he was anxious.

"Relax." Yuka said reassuringly, "I'm just looking, ok?" Somehow, Reach must've believed her, because he let out a heavy sigh and his muscles started to relax just a little. Yuka smiled. 'So does this mean he's starting to trust me?' Yuka thought, gazing at Reach's back, where his scar stood out like a sore thumb. Temptation took over, and slowly, Yuka reached out her hand. Her fingertips grazed Reach's scar and suddenly, Reach's whole body became rigid. He took a short, quick breath in surprise and spun around, teeth bared. "S-sorry!" Yuka exclaimed, holding her hands up. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry." Reach's expression softened back to normal. He put his jacket back on roughly and continued walking in the direction Yuka had been leading him. "I-if… if I could ask… and if it's not too personal…" Yuka began, trying to start to recreate what little trust the two of them had between them. "Where… did you get that scar?"

Reach sighed and glanced back at her. "I don't know." He stated. "It's… a blur."

"Oh." Yuka said. She shoved her hands into her pockets and started walking next to Reach. She shivered as a chill ran down her spine; her clothes were still wet from earlier and since the sun was going down, the air started to get a slight chill to it. "I-I need s-some new clothes…" Yuka muttered to herself.

Reach put his hands into his pockets. After a moment of silence—again—he stopped. Yuka stopped to see what he was doing when suddenly, Reach whipped his jacket around her shoulders. Yuka gasped in surprise. "Use this…" Reach said.

"B-but aren't you cold?!" Yuka asked. Reach shook his head and suddenly transformed into his tiger form. Yuka took a step back. "Y-you're gonna walk into the village like that?" She asked. Reach didn't answer her. Instead, he shrugged. Yuka sighed and wrapped Reach's jacket tighter around herself. "Well… thanks." She said, smiling down at him. Reach nodded at her and the two of them continued on towards the village.

* * *

When they finally got back to the village, Yuka gave Reach his jacket back and led him to the food table, only to find Haruka eating with Luffy. "Found Reach." Yuka said, jabbing her thumb at Reach. Haruka beamed.

"Awesome!" She exclaimed. "Reach, you gotta try some of this!" She held up a piece of meat and Reach hesitantly took it from her. He sniffed it, like he'd done before, and devoured it in one bite. After swallowing it, he licked his lips. "Good, huh?" Haruka said, laughing.

Yuka left Reach with Haruka and went to look for some dry clothes. Luckily, since Yuka was completely broke, the man who ran the clothing store in town let her have an outfit for free—after Yuka had told the man that she was a friend of Luffy's, of course.

Yuka walked out of the store ten minutes later, wearing her new clothes: a light blue sweater-vest with a yellow stripe across the chest, a pair of dark blue pants, and a black jacket with the sleeves rolled up half way. Yuka had even got a new pair of boots as well. Just before she'd left the store, Yuka had grabbed an orange T-shirt and a blue polo shirt from a rack of men's T-shirts.

'For Reach.' Yuka thought.

* * *

Yuka went back to the food table to find Haruka and Reach still together—and Reach still eating. Yuka stood in front of him and held out the shirts. "I got these for you." She said. "All you've got's that jacket, so I figured maybe you'd like to have something else, you know?"

Reach raised an eyebrow. "You got me… clothes?" He asked, surprised that someone had gotten him something.

"Yeah." Yuka said. "So… wanna wear one now?" She asked. "The shirt I was wearing when you gave me your jacket got your jacket wet too, so I didn't want you to have to sit in a wet jacket all night."

"…Ok…" Reach said. Yuka held up the shirts and Reach chose the blue polo. He stood up, took off his jacket, and slipped the polo on. Yuka smiled.

"Nice!" Haruka exclaimed, giving Reach the thumbs-up. Yuka sat down next to Haruka and sighed.

"I'm tired…" She moaned, yawning.

Haruka yawned too. "Same…" She said. Reach stopped eating a sniffed. "Hm? What's up?" Haruka asked.

"Tsunami-chan." Reach said plainly. Sure enough, not even a minute later, Mizu came prancing up to the table. She, too, had a new outfit—she was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a dark blue tank top with a light blue heart on the chest. Over that, she wore a pink jacket. She'd also gotten a pair of blue shoes to complete the outfit.

"H-hey guys." Mizu said as she approached the table.

"You got new clothes." Yuka said.

Mizu smiled. "Yeah, and I see you did too." She said.

Yuka chuckled. "Yeah, well they were still wet from earlier, so… you know." Mizu giggled.

"I see." She said. Reach watched the two girls silently, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. Mizu noticed Reach's new shirt. "Ah, R-reach, you got a new shirt too?" Reach merely nodded. "Th-that's cool." She said.

Haruka yawned again. "Daaamn I'm really tired now…" She moaned. Yuka nodded.

"Yeah…" She said. "I think I'm gonna call it a night… Anyone else?"

"Me." Haruka and Mizu both said in unison. The two girls blinked at each other for a moment before laughing. Yuka giggled and then stretched. She turned to Reach and rubbed one eye sleepily.

"You gonna come?" She asked. Reach's gaze wandered over to the table and he shrugged. Yuka sighed. "Well… you still gonna be here tomorrow, or are you gonna take off before we get up?"

Reach looked up at the sky for a moment before answering. "I'll be here." He said quietly. Yuka smiled.

"'K." She said, standing up. "Well—" She yawned as she started walking after Mizu and Haruka, "Night!"

**I think I just wrote my first filler chapter XD it could've been better, I guess… but it's like midnight…lol I'm tired…**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	22. Please Read! Explanation!

**Hey guys! :D I'm not dead! I swear!**

**Lol it's been a while, huh? Well, the thing is, I've been writing my own original story and I've been involved in a play at school for like a month and a half, so that's why I haven't updated any stories in like… a year DX but they **_**WILL NOT BE ABANDONED!**_** I promise! So… until I write up the next chapter (cuz I'm pretty much a little stuck in all my stories, thanks to this original one I'm writing .) please bear with me! ^^;**

**Again, really sorry about the long "hiatus", but my stories will NOT be abandoned! :D**


	23. IMPORTANT Rewriting Note PLEASE READ!

**Hey guys, it's me again, with ANOTHER Author Note. This is really important though and I can't believe I haven't said anything until now!**

**_Tale of the Amatsu Pirates_ is going to have a little... Well, actually, a LOT of work done to it. Why? Because I'm making it an original story, completely out of _One Piece_. So this means I basically have to take everything I have for this story (what I've written and what I haven't) and basically rip it apart. So _TotAP_ won't be a _One Piece_ fanfic, it'll be its own completely different story. Does that make sense? ^^;**

**I decided I was going to do this a long time ago and I said something on deviantART about it, but I completely forgot about FanFiction! So sorry about that XD Is anyone even still interested in this story? I know I only got like... hardly anything done, but there WERE some people who were following what I had. Can you guys please drop a review or something if you're still interested? Please? It would really be helpful, knowing I'm not writing to an audience of none, if you know what I mean ^^;**

**So basically, in a way, the _Tale of the Amatsu Pirates_ that you guys know will be "discontinued", ripped apart, rewritten, and reborn again in a brand new original story :) I've got so many plans for this story, even if I WAS going to keep it as a _One Piece_ fic. WHEN I start rewriting (which probably won't be for a WHILE cuz I'm still fixing things), I'll post a notice here and I'll probably post the actual story on FictionPress and deviantART so it'll be easy to follow along :) Also, I sometimes give little mini-fics, pictures, spoilers, and updates/changes about _TotAP_ on my deviantART page, if anyone would want to follow that kind of stuff. My deviantART account is Xx-Falcon-Eye-Xx. The link (without spaces, of course) is www. xx-falcon-eye-xx .deviantart .com**

**Again, please leave me a review if you're still interested! Evwn if it's something like "yes" and that's it. Actually, even if you're NOT interested, I'd like to know ^^; Thanks guys!**


End file.
